Welcome to Earth Nexus
by waferboi
Summary: Barry, Oliver, and Kara end up on a strange new earth in the midst of their fight with the Dominators. Their only helper is a complete stranger and a nobody.
1. Invasion!

_**Okay, so this is the first fanfic I have ever written, so it will probably be trash, and I apologize in advance. I'm also not much of a writer, so don't expect something majestic or great.**_

_**I got the idea for this while reading AngelDesaray's "Across the Universe" series. It's a really cool Star Wars series that I highly recommend. I was extremely disappointed when the author abandoned the project, and it inspired me to try my hand at writing my own.**_

_**Mandatory disclaimer: I don't own The Flash, Arrow, or Supergirl, or any Arrowverse characters for that matter. I also don't own any songs mentioned and/or used in this fic.**_

_**That's enough out of me lol. Enjoy!**_

* * *

Christian lay on the edge of his bed, blasting his playlist of random, obscure music through his headphones. With all the cares of the world blocked out by Pentatonix and Tobu, he focused on the task in front of him. Christian had been working on writing a script for the musical episode _Duet_ from the TV series _The Flash._ However, as he typed away, he found it increasingly hard to concentrate.

"'Barry looks around in wonder as he comes to, his surroundings reminding him of his favorite musical _Singin' in the Rain_. He hears singing, and focuses on the center of the room, where he finds his friend Kara performing a rendition of _Moon River_.

'...Two drifters, off to see the world

There's such a lot of world to see

We're after the same rainbow's end, waitin' 'round the bend

My huckleberry friend, moon river and me…'

Barry smiles at Kara as she sings, only for her to recognize him with a start. She finishes her song…'

No, I can phrase that better, can't I?" Christian complained. He sighed as he leaned back into his chair. He really wanted to pull this off so that his teacher's musical theatre group could perform it, but he truly had bitten off more than he could chew. He found out quite quickly how hard it is to include superpowers and months of romance and angst that was condensed into 45 minutes into a script for a musical without sounding totally idiotic or cheesy.

Christian sighed again, looking around his room for inspiration. Nothing came to him, though. Nothing had come to him ever since he saw the first three episodes of _Crisis on Infinite Earths._ The crossover had left him despondent and confused, and grieving the loss of his favorite characters, even though they were only fiction. Oliver dying at the end of Hour 1, everyone except the 7 paragons dying at the end of hour 3, Lex being an annoying piece of crap, and other things struck him in a way he didn't know was possible.

Christian was a bit of an Arrowverse fanatic. He was a die-hard fan, but he never read any comics or formed any theories or interacted with the community surrounding it. However, he was a big fan of the shows that started it all. He knew each and every character and storyline by heart. So seeing so many of his favorites just vanish was a bit heartbreaking. He'd dealt with heartbreak before, though, so he figured he could deal with it again.

Christian sighed for yet another time, glancing at the clock. His eyes widened in surprise as the clock read 1:40 AM. "Welp, time for bed, I suppose.," he muttered to himself as he got to his feet, untied his shoulder-length hair, changed into a light tank top, went to sleep.

* * *

_***EARTH**_ _**ONE***_

The Flash, Barry Allen, speeds in front of Agent Smith, cornering him in front of his car. "We're trying to help you, and this is how you thank us?" he accuses confrontationally.

"You don't understand," Smith replies. "The reason the Xenomorphs are here-"

"Is because they have a beef with the metahumans. Tell us something we don't know." Sara Lance, the White Canary interjects.

"Like, what exactly have we done to them?" Barry asks.

"Nothing, yet," the man replies. "But they see individuals with powers such as yours as a future threat, and frankly so do I." Smith points accusingly at Barry. "You brought them here when you created Flashpoint, when you went back in time to change your fate. You did that, Mr. Allen." Smith turns to Oliver, who stood slightly behind Sara. "And you, Mr. Queen. You started this entire superhero movement. None of this would have happened if you had never put on that hood in the first place." Oliver takes a step back, startled. "And Ms. Zor-el," the agent continues, "she has done nothing but aggravate the Xenomorphs even more. She's inviting them to attack us."

"Well what are you going to do about it? Yell us all to death?" Oliver yells, annoyed.

"No, Mr. Queen. I'm going to take care of the problem that should have been taken care of years ago."

"And how exactly are you going to do that?" Barry confronts him. "You can't kill us, no matter how hard you tried."

"Oh, I know that, Mr. Allen." Smith smirks. "I'm going to send you somewhere you'll never be able to come back from. I cut a deal with the Xenomorphs. I take care of you three, and they leave." With that, he takes out a small alien pistol and shoots it three times before anyone could react. The lasers from the pistol hit Barry square in the chest, and he vanishes in a blue-ish portal. The next shot hits Oliver, making him vanish in a similar portal. The third shot homes in on Kara, Supergirl, and engulfs her in yet another portal.

"What did you do?!" Sara screams at the man, pushing him against his car.

"What needed to be done."

* * *

Christian wakes up with a start, hearing a strange sound. He could have sworn he heard a loud _thump_ in the middle of his bedroom, but he couldn't be sure. He looks over at his clock. It reads 4:20 AM. "Ha, 420." Christian says to himself before closing his eyes again and lying back on his bed. However, he wakes with a start again as he feels the cold metal tip of an arrow against his windpipe.

"Who are you, and what have you done to us?" the man holding the arrow growls.

"Bro, I don't know!" Christian panics, thinking he's about to die. "I've been asleep for the past 2 hours!"

"And what did you do before that?" the man growls, louder.

"Bro, I don't know! I was just working on a school project!" Christian is basically pleading for his life at this point. "Please, man, whatever happened to you, it's not my fault!"

"He's telling the truth." A second, softer voice speaks up.

"I know." The first man moves his arrow, and Christian scrambles to his feet as far away from the group as possible. In the shadows, he is able to make out three figures. One seemed to be wearing some kind of hood, another had very weird ears, and the third had a cape.

"Can I just turn my light on real quick?" Christian asks, his voice shaking.

"No!" "Yeah, sure" "Yes" The three say all at once.

"I'mma take that as a yes," Christian replies, edging towards the light switch. "Also, could we keep it down, my sister's in the room right next to mine, and we have school tomorrow." One of the figures nods. He gets to the light switch and flips it on, then gasps.

In the light, he sees the Green Arrow, the Flash, and Supergirl, all standing tall in his room. Christian is backed up against his door in fear. "Okay, guys, nice prank! You can get out of my room now!" Christian quips, still shaking in fear.

"This isn't a prank!" Supergirl looks up at him, and Christian sees her face clearly.

"Oh my god, you look just like her," Christian whispers in wonder, not believing his eyes.

"I'm Supergirl, nice to meet you," she smiles, extending her hand. "I'm Christian, Christian Lee." Christian shakes her hand, then moves back against his door. "Are you guys really-"

"Yes, we're really superheroes," the Flash responds, vibrating his hand at the speed of light.

Christian's mouth drops to the floor. "Wait, so does that mean you guys somehow ended up in the wrong earth and can't get back home?"

Supergirl and the Flash share a look. "How do you know that?" Supergirl asks.

Christian shrugs. "Reasons. Just like how I know you," he points to Supergirl, "are really Kara Danvers, a.k.a. Kara Zor-el, and you," he points to Flash, "are really Barry Allen, and you," he points to Green Arrow, "are really Oliver Queen." The three stare at him in shock before Oliver takes his hood off, goes to Christian, grabs him by the throat, and holds him up against the door.

"Oliver!" Barry exclaims, pulling off his mask and trying to stop him.

"How do you know who we are, and how do you know about the parallel earths?" Oliver asks, menacingly. "I'm only gonna ask you once."

"Put him down!" Kara says, walking over to Oliver. "He's choking, and besides, he can't tell you anything if he can't breathe!"

Oliver scowls and lets go of Christian, who drops to the floor taking gasping and trying to take deep breaths as he regains control of his airflow. "Start talking," Oliver demands.

"Wait, lemme catch my breath," Christian gasps. After a few seconds, he takes one last deep breath and stands up. "Well, I guess I should start by saying-" he pauses, sighs, and resumes, "-Welcome to Earth Nexus, where superheroes aren't real and your lives are detailed play by play on the small screen."

Kara, Oliver, and Barry stare at him in shock. Kara stumbles back and sits on his bed. "You mean we don't exist here?" Barry asks.

"No, you don't." Christian replies, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "In this universe, you guys were created in a series of comic books produced by a company known as DC Comics, and then these versions of you guys were introduced on TV, starting with Arrow." Oliver turns his head in surprise.

"So, you're saying that none of this is real here?" Barry presses, gesturing to himself and his friends. Christian nods slowly.

"Superpowers are fictional here, as are you three. In this universe you guys are just played by actors, and aren't even the slightest bit real."

Barry, Oliver, and Kara take a moment to process this information as Christian awkwardly shuffles around on his feet. "So these shows," Oliver speaks up, "are they accurate to our lives? Is that how you know who we are?"

"I mean, that's how I know who you guys are," Christian replies, shrugging."As for accuracy, I have no ideas. I don't know the kinds of live you guys lead."

"Well, maybe if you figure it out, we can get back home quicker!" Oliver borderline shouts. Barry hits his arm and Oliver moves back slightly.

"Ask us some questions about our lives that coincide with the shows, maybe that'll help," Barry says, standing up and pushing Oliver away from Christian.

"Umm, okay," Christian replies, thinking. "So, given that you all seem to know each other, this is sometime between the alien invasion crossover and seasons 5, 6, and 8."

"Wait, you know about the Xenomorph invasion?" Kara questions, intrigued.

"Yeah," Christian responds. "It's when you guys all meet for the first time, Cisco stops being mad at Barry, Stein meets his daughter, and y'all defeat the aliens and live happily ever after." Christian carelessly adds.

"Cisco forgives me?" Barry questions, hopeful. "Wait," he says, confused. "Stein has a daughter?"

"We actually win this?" Oliver adds questioningly.

"Oh, right, you guys must be in the midst of the Xenomorph invasion. But then, that begs the question, how did you guys get here?" Christian asks, confused.

"We don't know," Barry replies. "All we know is that one minute, we're doing our superhero business, confronting that one federal agent dude, then he shoots some alien tech at us and we're here now."

"Well, that's not supposed to happen," Christian ponder the situation.

"What do you mean, what is supposed to happen?" Kara asks.

"I don't think I should tell you, I could ruin your guys' timeline."

"Oh, even more than it's already ruined?" Oliver interjects, annoyed. "

Well, fine, I guess that that interaction with Smith already makes your version of _Invasion!_ different from mine. According to the original Earth Prime timeline, Smith would leave and you all would forgive Barry, band together, have a big, awesome fight scene, then be rewarded by the President and have drinks." Christian answers.

"Well that's not happening now, is it?" Oliver presses.

"I don't know, I mean, it still could happen if we return you guys to the exact same spot you left somehow." Christian answers, unsure of himself. "For now, I suggest you guys figure yourselves out, because a trans-dimensional portal or whatever can't be done 4:30 in the morning. I can get some mattresses and blankets for y'all. You'll have to spend the night." The trio nods as Christian sets up camp for them.

"Barry, how will we get back?" Kara asks worriedly.

"I have no idea," Barry responds.

"One step at a time, folks," Oliver adds as Christian sets up their beds for the night.

"Well then, lights out?" Christian asks.

"Lights out."


	2. 2020 Vision

_**And here we are with chapter two lol**_

_**Thank you guys so much for reading, favoriting, reviewing, etc. the last chapter! I honestly did not expect anyone would read it, much less enjoy it! Thank you so much, and I hope that this chapter will live up to any expectations that you guys have :)**_

_**Mandatory disclaimer: I don't own any Arrowverse characters, but you know that already. **_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Oh, also, I'm changing to past tense because it's easier to write in.**_

* * *

Christian woke from his slumber as his alarm clock made its usual obnoxious noise. The morning sun was shining through his window, and Christian sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes. He shut off the clock and squinted to read the time. It read 8:00 AM, just as it normally did. He dropped back to his bed with a sigh. "I've got some time," he thought to himself. He grabbed his phone from his nightstand, opened up Instagram, and started checking his feed.

A few minutes of scrolling later, he came to a post about the Crisis and stopped, suddenly remembering the events of the night before. He looked around his room and gasped in shock as he noticed the three vistitors awake, talking amongst themselves.

"Uhh, good morning?" He said tentatively. Barry and Kara turned towards him, Barry nodding his "good morning" and Kara smiling at him. "Did you guys want some breakfast or something?" Christian asked.

"I mean," Barry said, "there's no way you have enough food in your apartment for me, and Kara doesn't _need _to eat that much because of her Kryptonian genes, so Oliver is really the one who needs food the most. But seeing that it's Oliver we're talking about, I think we're fine." Barry finished his thought with a chuckle. Oliver glared at him in annoyance as Kara tried unsuccessfully to hide a chuckle.

"Okay, then." Christian said, getting up and stretching. "I'm gonna go make some eggs for myself, you guys are welcome to roam around the apartment."

"Sure." Barry said, turning back towards Oliver and Kara. "Wait, actually," he said as Christian began to leave the room, "what's your wifi password?"

"Oh, I don't think that's a good idea just yet," Christian answered sheepishly.

"Why not?" Oliver questioned, standing up. Christian nervously backed into the small hallway behind him.

"Well, here's the thing. You guys are currently dealing with the Dominator invasion, which means that it's only December 2nd, 2016, for you three." Kara glanced up in surprise, and Barry and Oliver's eyes widened.

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?" Oliver shouted, advancing towards Christian, who was cowering against the bathroom door. Before he could do anything, Barry and Kara sped in front of him and held him down. Oliver struggled against the two in vain.

"Christian, I really, really think that now would be a good time to answer his question," Kara pressed, and Christian nodded.

"The thing is, it's January here. January 13th, 2020."

All three of them stopped moving and stared at Christian in shock. Kara and Barry let go of Oliver, who stumbled back in wonder.

"It's 2020?" Barry whispered, dazed.

Christian nodded, and the three moved into the living room to sit and process the new information. Christian sighed. He truly felt bad for the trio, and wanted more than anything to tell them what to do and what not to do to create the best possible future, but he feared that telling them and changing their futures could have consequences greater than Flashpoint.

"Well, what's happened to us in 2020?" Oliver spoke up, snapping Christian from his thoughts.

"I really don't think I should tell you guys," Christian answered resignedly.

"Why not? I mean, what's the harm in telling us what happens so that we can change it and make it better?" Oliver asked, his voice raising.

"Well, why don't you ask Barry over there?!" Christian shouted back in exasperation. Oliver, Kara, and Barry sat up in surprise.

"What is he talking about?" Oliver growled under his breath.

"FLASHPOINT, you IDIOTS." Christian all but screamed. "When you change the timeline for your own personal gain, it never goes well! Time needs to play out its natural course, or the ramifications will destroy your timeline!"

"How do you know that?" Barry asks solemnly, standing up and walking towards Christian. "HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT FLASHPOINT?" He yells, nearly tearing up.

"I TOLD YOU ALREADY, YOU GUYS ARE FICTIONAL HERE!" Christian shouts right back. "I KNOW NEARLY EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUR LIVES AS HEROES, ALL THE WAY UP UNTIL CRISIS!" At this, Christian stops and covers his mouth in horror. Barry takes a step back, visibly confused. Oliver and Kara are still sitting, staring in confusion and shock due to Christian's outburst.

"What's Crisis?" Barry asks. Christian lowers his hands and shakes his head violently.

"It's something you guys never should have known about." Christian quickly regains his composure and runs off to the kitchen.

"Wait, why?" Barry asks, about to run after him, but Kara stands up and stops him.

"Barry, I think he just accidentally told us something about our futures." Kara tells him.

"But what is it? What happens? To me? To Iris?" Barry presses.

"Barry, I don't think that right now is really a good time to push this any further." Oliver interjects.

"Well, you're one to talk!" Barry exclaims, turning on Oliver. "You threatened to kill him when you first met him, and started screaming at him right after he woke up!"

"Oh, and that's _my_ fault?" Oliver fires back. "How do we know this isn't _your_ fault? What if it's your Flashpoint got us here in the first place?!"

Barry takes a step back, hurt. "Way to turn your back on me, Oliver. Weren't you the one who said you wouldn't leave without me?" He accuses angrily.

"That was a different matter!" Oliver argues. "We are on a different earth, we don't know why or how, and this _kid_ is the only one who can help us and he isn't doing anything to help us get back home! In addition to this, he knows our futures, but refuses to tell us! And on top of that, this may have all been caused by YOU. So forgive me if I'm a bit irritable, _Barry_!" Barry's eyes flash with anger.

"STOP IT YOU TWO!" Kara steps in between them, exasperated. "You guys are only making things worse! If we wanna get back, we need to work together! That means no fighting, all of you!"

"Kara's right." Christian says, appearing in the kitchen doorway. Barry and Oliver glare at him. "The only way y'all are going to get out of this is if we figure out how this happened and undo it."

"And how, exactly, are we going to do that?" Oliver questions impatiently.

"I don't know, man. Do I look like a scientist?" Christian responds with a shrug. "For now, I gotta get to scho-OH CRAP!" Christian begins, but realization dawns on his face and he runs back into the hall.

"Wait, where's he going?" Barry asks, confused again. He starts to follow, but Kara stops him again.

"Let him do what he needs to do," Kara says. Barry frustratedly looks into the hall, but eventually decides to flop back down onto his chair. Oliver sits alongside him.

A few minutes later, Christian emerges from the hallway again, this time with a young girl next to him. She's 14, but unusually short for her age, standing at about 4'9". The most noticeable feat of hers, however, is that she has Down Syndrome. The three guests look up, surprised. Oliver reaches for his bow, but Christian stops him with a warning glance.

"Hey, Emma, can you say 'Hi' to our new friends?" Christian smiles down at her, and she turns to the three, waves, and says "Hi!"

"This is Barry," Christian says, pointing at the speedster. "Hi Barry!" Emma says brightly. Barry smiles in return and waves at her.

"This is Oliver," Christian adds, pointing at the archer. "Hi Ol-Oliver!" she says, stumbling over her words. Oliver smiles softly at her and responds, "Hi!"

"And this," Christian finishes, pointing at the kryptonian, "is Kara." "Hi Kara!" Emma says just as brightly. Kara, smiling widely, says "Hi!" and walks over to Emma. "What's your name?"

"Hi, my name is Emma!" she responds happily. "And how old are you, Emma?" Kara asks, still smiling. "I am fourteen years old!" Emma responds proudly. "Wow!" Kara responds. "She's fourteen?" Kara asks Christian in surprise.

"Yup, she's fourteen," Christian responds, smiling fondly at her.

"Is she your daughter?" Oliver asks, the faintest glimpse of a smile on his lips.

"What? Dude, no, she's my sister!" Christian chuckles in disbelief. "I'd have to be, like, 35 for her to be my kid!"

"Well, where are your parents, then?" Kara asks. Christian's smile fades and his eyes darken. "A story for another time," he says, attempting to be cheery. The three share a glance, but don't push the subject.

"Anyway, I've got to get down to the school, classes start back up again today at 10. She's gotta come with, because there is no way I'm leaving her at home by herself." Christian walks over to his sister.

"Hey Emma, we gotta go, so I don't have time to cook your breakfast. Can I get you some McDonald's?" He asks lightly.

"Mmm, okay!" Emma responds happily.

"That's great, go get ready and I'll stop there on the way to school," Christian says, ushering her towards the hall.

"Okay!" Emma says, going back to her room.

"She's so cute!" Kara says with glee, and Christian chuckles.

"Yup, that's my sister," he says, proudly.

"Wait, but how is she fourteen?" Kara asks, her smile being replaced with a frown of confusion.

"So, she has Down Syndrome," Christian says, his smile faltering. Kara and Barry nod in realization, and Oliver just glances at them, wondering why they weren't able to figure that out earlier.

"Because she has Down Syndrome, her brain lags a bit behind ours, so she basically has the mind of an 8-year-old," Christian explains, turning to face the three.

"So basically, she's a certified retard?" Oliver asks, chuckling. Christian's eyes darken with anger.

"Don't you ever call her that." Christian growls at Oliver, causing him to sit up in surprise. "She has to deal with being stared at and called that her entire life, and I cannot and will not stand for it. If you ever call her that again, I will fight you, even if it's a losing battle, understand?"

"Yup, got it. Won't use that again, sorry," Oliver says simply, but apologetically.

Christian lightens a bit, and a smirk crosses his face. "Wait, hold up," he says. "Did Oliver Queen just apologize?" Barry, Kara and Christian break out in peals of laughter as Oliver shakes his head in comedic annoyance.

After shared laughter, Christian takes a breath. "Sorry, to break up the fun, but we actually do need to get ready. It's an hour-long drive to school, and it's currently 9:05."

"Oh, sure, yeah. You should go get ready," Barry responds, still smiling.

"Wait, before you go," Oliver interjects, "there's the issue of clothes…"

Realization dawns on Christian. "Oh my gosh, you guys don't have any normal clothes!" He runs to his room, and the three guests follow. "I've got a bunch of sweatshirts and sweatpants in here if you guys want, I don't know if it'll fit, but it's the best I got right now. Maybe y'all can buy some clothes while I'm at school."

"With what money?" Kara asks, glancing down at her outfit.

"I'm sure Mayor Queen over there's got some cash on him, as well as Officer Barry Allen." Christian says with a smirk. "For now, this'll have to work. It'll be small on Oliver and large on you, but you should be fine for now. Y'all can change in here, I gotta go pack my backpack. Kara, you can change in the bathroom, Emma's not using it. It's down the hall, last door on the right."

A few minutes pass, and everyone is in the living room ready to go. Barry, Kara, and Oliver are dressed in civilian clothing, Christian has his backpack on and his keys in his right hand, and Emma finishes tying her pink shoes to match her pink outfit.

"Everyone good to go?" Christian asks?

"Yup!" Kara responds. No one else responds, however, and Christian shrugs awkwardly.

"Welp, off we go, I guess," Christian says as everyone steps out. He locks his apartment door behind him, and the group takes the elevator down to the garage. They get into his SUV and start the hour-long drive to college.

* * *

_**So, as you can see, I changed my mind about using past tense. For some reason my mind defaults to present tense when I'm writing dialogue. Oh well.**_


	3. Shock

_**Happy New Year, y'all! I hope you guys will have a great 2020! And here to start off the year (a bit late) is Chapter 3 lol**_

_**It took a bit longer to get to this chapter, what with the holidays and all. I actually laid it off for a few days, and that's why it didn't come out just a few days after the last one like the second chapter did. That, and I've been trying to think of interesting plot lines for the story. **_

_**Please let me know what you guys think of the side characters! There are only 2 OC's right now, but y'all will see at least 2 more in the near future, plus some that will only be mentioned by the current ones. Also, please keep putting your ideas in the reviews, it really helps me get ideas for the next chapter.**_

_**One final note: My classes are starting up again today, so updates to the story may/will probably come with larger gaps. Don't worry, though, I am committed to finishing! I can't handle it when people just abandon stories and I don't wanna be like that :)**_

_**Alright, here goes.**_

* * *

Christian pulls up to his school at 10:15 AM. His passengers had been enjoying the ride, taking in the scenery of a new earth. His sister got her breakfast and was happily eating in the backseat. Christian opens his door and gets out of the car, standing up and stretching.

"Alright, well, I've got to get to class," he says. "I'm running late."

"When will you be done?" Kara asks, also getting out of the car. Oliver and Barry follow.

"I'll be done around 2:30-ish," Christian responds. "I've got class from 10:00 to 11:15, then I got a break till 11:30."

"Alright, well, what can we do while we wait?" Barry asks, looking around the campus.

"Oh, yeah," Christian realizes. "There's a Costco right across the street, you guys can look for clothes or eat or whatever. It opened 15 minutes ago, so that's an option. There's a library down the block, too, you guys can go there if you want."

"I think the best option would be to go to Costco to get some clothes that actually fit," Oliver says with a smirk. "Maybe then we'll hit the library."

"Cool, I'll come and check up on y'all during my downtime," Christian nods. "Emma!"

"Yes?" Emma answers sweetly, finishing up her breakfast.

"Grab your bag, we gotta go inside now," Christian replies hurriedly but gently.

"But I don't want to!" Emma huffs.

"I know, but I have to go to school, and you have to do your homework," Christian chuckles, gently pushing her towards the building. "Come on, we're late."

"I guess we'll see you around, then." Barry states, nodding to Christian and walking off with Kara and Oliver.

"Oh wait, one more thing!" Christian exclaims. The trio turns to face him. "You guys probably should invest in some hats or hoodies or sunglasses or something to cover your faces."

"What? Why?" Kara asks, incredulous.

"Remember how I said that your lives are portrayed on screens and comic books?" Christian asks. Kara and Barry nod. "Well, on said screens, you guys are portrayed by actors, and look exactly like said actors. Therefore, you guys are very likely to be recognized as someone you aren't, so try to conceal your faces and not stand out too much," Christian explains. The trio nod (or half-nod, in Oliver's case) in realization.

"Oh, okay," Kara says. "Thanks for the heads up!" she smiles.

"No problem!" Christian answers. "Now come on, Emma!" he says turning towards the building and ushering his reluctant sister along. "I'm 20 minutes late, and you _know_ how I am about being late."

"Yeah, I know." Emma frowns, rolling her eyes but complying.

"Bye!" Kara waves as she heads off with Barry and Oliver.

* * *

Christian gets his sister situated in the student lounge to do her homework and rushes up to his classroom. He gets there at 10:22, 22 minute late. He runs in as the teacher is handing out quizzes.

"Ah, right on time, Mr. Lee," the teacher chides sarcastically. "You just missed the entire study time for our quizzes."

"Wait, we have quizzes?" Christian questions exasperatedly. "The semester just started!"

"Yes, I know," The teacher responds, nonplussed. "I figured a few pop quizzes would be a good refresher for what you learned over the course of your highschool physics classes. Now, here's your first quiz." He hands Christian his pages.

"Wait, but this is the first day of school, isn't it?" Christian argues, trying to get out of having to do quizzes.

"It is, but like I said, a few first-week review quizzes won't do you any harm," his teacher answers. "Now stop arguing with me and sit down."

"Ugh, son of a-," Christian mutters under his breath. He takes his seat, bro-hugging his classmate.

"Yo, why you so late, bro?" His friend, Aiden, asks him.

"Ah, I just had to buy my sister breakfast," Christian responds. "The line at McDonalds as unbelievably long," he fibs. Thankfully, Aiden is convinced and stops pushing the subject.

"I think Mr. L. has it out for you," Aiden whispers to Christian.

"Oh? And what makes you think that?" Christian deadpans. "It's not like he's snarking me out in front of the whole class or anything."

"Okay, so what you're saying is, I'm right." Aiden smirks. Christian rolls his eyes and turns to his quiz.

"Whatever," he says. "Time to start this," he sighs, starting his work.

* * *

Kara, Barry and Oliver get to Costco and manage to buy new outfits, along with a cap for Oliver, a hoodie for Barry, and a hat and sunglasses for Kara, without getting into trouble or getting recognized. They go to the library that Christian pointed out, and Kara admires the scenery as they walk. The trees around them were swaying in the wind, still green despite being in the dead of winter. In fact, the whole scene was alive with color, not a single flake of snow on the ground. The sun was shining, casting shadows onto the ground and reflecting colors and light into a vibrant mixture around the trio. The beauty was hampered by the old, dirty buildings around them, such as the Costco they had just come from and Christian's school. However, in Kara's eyes, everything was so beautiful.

"This earth is really beautiful," she says, smiling at the two boys.

"Yeah, it kinda is," Oliver agrees, "once you get over the smell of smoke, gas, and rain, the annoyingly high level of humidity, and the buildings that are _this_ close to falling apart." He finishes his thought.

Barry chuckles. "It'd help if you didn't keep your head on a swivel, Ollie." Oliver turns to look at him incredulously. "I'm just saying," Barry continues, "maybe you could enjoy the view like Kara is?"

"Thank you!" Kara exclaims. "Besides, if anything bad comes our way, I'll hear it. Super-hearing, remember?" she adds, pointing to her ear for emphasis.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Oliver sighs, then chuckles. "Force of habit."

The three continue their walk in relative silence until they reach their destination. They enter the library and find a secluded place to relax. Oliver finds the history section and quickly determines that Earth Prime's history is basically the same as Earth One's

"Hey guys," he says. "Take a look at this."

Barry and Kara come over.

"World War II, Martin Luther King Jr., the Vietnam War, the Cold War," Barry reads out the different sections. "What about it?"

"Don't you see?" Oliver asks. Barry looks at him confused. "Their history is the same as ours."

"Ohhh," Barry says in realization.

"Are you sure, though?" Kara asks. "I mean, it might not be exactly the same."

"Well, you're the one with super speed, can't you check?" pressed Oliver. Kara rolls her eyes and quickly speeds around the library without anyone noticing. She returns holding three small comic books.

"Well, all the history seems to be fine, but we have another issue," she says, holding up the three books. One read _Flash Comics No. 1_, another read _Green Arrow No. 1_, and the third read _Crisis on Infinite Earths._

Barry and Oliver stared at the comics in shock. "Let me see that," Barry says, grabbing the _Flash_ comic out of Kara's hand and quickly reading it. "Well, it's about Jay, but it doesn't seem to be that accurate," he concludes, relieved.

Oliver slowly grabs the _Green Arrow_ comic, and flips through it. He chuckles. "Well, this is not me at all," he says. "I'm a former archaeologist according to this," he adds humorously, tossing the book onto the nearest table.

Kara, however, was having a very different reaction to the _Crisis_ comic. Her face goes pale as she continues reading, even though she is speeding through it. Barry and Oliver walk over to her in concern as she shuts the book and throws it onto the table in sudden shock and fear. The guys quickly are at her side.

"Are you okay?" "Hey, hey, what's wrong?" Barry and Oliver ask at the same time, as Kara sits down, staring blankly at a wall.

"I saw…" she begins, but trails off.

"What? What did you see?" Oliver pushes, but relents after a cautious glance from Barry.

"I saw myself die," she whispers, tearing up. Barry and Oliver exchange worried glances. "I saw the Earths being destroyed. And…" She trails off once more, but looks up at Barry with pain in her eyes.

"What did you see?" Barry asks softly.

"I saw you die, Barry!" she cries, her voice breaking. "I saw you and I die trying and failing to save the multiverse!" Kara breaks down and begins to sob into her sleeve, the shock overpowering her.

Barry stumbles into his own seat at the library table, at a loss for words. Oliver sits next to him, putting his arm around Barry's shoulder.

"Is this how Christian knows our histories?" Barry whispers softly. "Is this our fate? Is this the Crisis he talked about?"

"I don't know, Barry," Oliver replies. "Maybe it's not all true, I mean the comic about me was totally wrong, and the one about the Flash was wrong."

"But that was a comic about Jay Garrick, not me," Barry replies."And besides, the version of yourself that you were reading about could be a different version of you, and this version could be documented in some other book."

Oliver was speechless. Kara lifts her head, her eyes red and wet, and wipes her face with her sleeve.

"We need answers," she says, resolute.

"I think I know just where to get those answers," Oliver growls as an unsuspecting Christian walks through the doors.

* * *

"Yo, what the heck, bro," Christian complains to Aiden as they walk out of the classroom. "Those friggin quizzes are probably harder than everything we're gonna learn this semester."

"I mean, Mr. L did say that it was a highschool review, and that's a year's worth of physics packed into a few pages," Aiden responded.

"Yeah, but who remembers highschool work?" Christian argues. "Everyone blocks out highschool work because it's not important in the long run."

"Well, maybe not everyone, cuz I saw some of the smart kids breezing through it," Aiden chuckles.

"That's because they're the _smart_ kids. They live for this kinda stuff," Christian complains again. "Anyway, I gotta go check up on my sis, then hit the library before practice," he adds.

"Alright, then," Aiden replies. "Wanna hang tonight?"

"I don't think I can, my sister's over this week, remember?" Christian says.

"Oh yeah. Well, see ya!" Aiden smiles, shaking Christian's hand and walking off to his next class.

Christian quickly runs down the stairs to the cafeteria where Emma is sitting, reading a book. "Hey, Emma," he calls, "how's it goin'?"

"Good," she calls back.

"Yeah?" he replies. "You okay for another hour or so? I gotta head to the library for a bit then come back and help set up for the band."

"Yeah, I'm good," she answers dismissively.

"Okay, then," Christian shrugs, leaving the cafeteria and walking down the street to the library. He's lost in thought as he walks, wondering how on earth (or rather, earths) Barry Allen, Oliver Queen, and Kara Danvers could have landed on his earth. Surely the team on Earth 1 must be working on a solution! But until then, what was he to do? He's no genius. He sighs as he enters the library, blissfully unaware of the trio's recent discoveries and of the confrontation that was about to take place.

* * *

_**Some hot water for our boy Christian! I brought the idea of comics to the table, but I didn't exactly want the three to go to an actual comic store just yet. I feel like that would have been too much. At least with this angle, Christian can explain to them that the comics aren't really accurate to their lives. We'll just see what happens with the shows ;)**_


	4. Update 1

_**Hey, y'all, this is a different kinda chapter :) I wanted to add a sort of update chapter to fill you guys in on some big changes to the story and also on what's to come.**_

_**So, first, let me start off by saying thank you. You guys are awesome. I never, in my wildest dreams, expected so many people to read this story, and its truly amazing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have no idea how much this means to me, that you would take time out of your days to come and read a story that I wrote. You all are are truly amazing.**_

_**And now to my second point. Let me start this point off by saying that Crisis on Infinite Earths was amazing. I just saw the finale episodes and let me just say, that was just amazing. I use that word too much. But anyway. The crossover did have some weird points and plot holes, but in the end it all came together. Episode 4 was my favorite :) BUT I bring this up because although it was amazing, Crisis on Infinite Earths screwed me over in the last ten minutes. Apparently, now, Earth Prime is an Arrowverse canon earth, which means that I can't use it as my home setting. I mean, I could, but it'd raise some continuity issues, even if it doesn't exist in Kara, Oliver, and Barry's time yet and doesn't exist in the real world. So, with that in mind, I need help. I need you guys to come up with a new name I can use for *this* earth. The one we're on, the one the super trio gets yeeted into. The only idea I have is Earth-1218, which is the Marvel version of what was Earth Prime. It's not really a big deal, and is the only change so far, but it is kinda important, because I can't have an Arrowverse fanfic on Earth Prime when Earth Prime is now an actual thing. I'd have to change the title (biggest change) and any references to Earth Prime.**_

_**Yes I know Ollie doesn't have powers. Watch Crisis. Then it'll make sense why I can say that.**_

_**Ok and now my third point. What's next. I'm sorry I haven't gotten to the next chapters, I've been tryna work on it but school started up again, I got sick, and a bunch of other crap happened. Also I'm a lazy procrastinator but we won't get into that. Needless to say, it's been a while since the last update. I figured since it'll be some time till the next one I should give you guys something lol. There's a lot of good suggestions from your reviews, some that I do plan on putting to use. However, at this point in the story, Christian is gonna have to explain to the trio that Earth _ comics are not accurate to their lives blah blah blah. After this, there's probably not going to be too much going on. Y'all are probably going to be looking at a few chapters of filler (unless I change my mind) until I make up my mind on where I really want this series to go. Christian is still going to try to keep them from any and all Arrowverse media, but it'll be hard when he's gonna watch Crisis finale. Expect some tension with that. I honestly don't know where to go with the series or even how long it's gonna be. This entire work was just a random thing I decided to do, and I have no plan for it. So, any and all ideas are welcome!**_

_**Alright, well, that's all I have to say for now. I'll do another update chapter like this if something big comes up again, but I just wanna end with another thank you for reading :) And also, thank you for putting up with whatever crap I put in the author's notes and updates. I know I'm not the best at them XDDDD**_

_**Oh also, one more thing. Since I'll be retconning some stuff for the story, please point out any details that y'all don't like. I'll change it (unless it's something I like/deem important. Don't take offense if it's not changed :D) But thanks, y'all. I'll see you guys later.**_


	5. Secrets

_**Hey y'all, here's a new one ;)**_

_**So some details about the retconning process: I still haven't settled on a title. I did some research to make sure name suggestions wouldn't cause any continuity issues (whatsoever). So far, the most suggested earth name, Earth 0, has already been taken by DC. Earth Alpha has been taken by some series called "The Demonic Paradise," although I have no idea what that is and it wouldn't cause any continuity issues for me. It still is its own canon, so idk that might raise some problems. So the remaining options are Earth Nexus, which is no canonical earth, but Nexus Earth is cryptocurrency company lol, and Earth 1218, the Marvel version of what used to by Earth Prime. I guess Earth 1218 would cause a few issues, but no one said I would restrict this series to the Arrowverse ;) It's up to y'all what the name of this earth (and the title of this story) will be, so let me know what y'all think.**_

_**Another note: I'm going to change the date of the beginning story from January 10th to January 13th. That'll mess up the Friday joke I had and force me to change some of the school scenes, but I want to so that Christian can get to Crisis parts 4 & 5 quicker. **_

_**Anyway, on with the story!**_

* * *

Christian walks into the library humming softly to himself. He smiles at the librarian and glances around the room, heading towards the back of the library where the tables, chairs, and sofas were. He figured that that area would be the best place to kill time. Christian is still lost in thought and gazing around the library that he rarely goes to. He continues towards the tables, but stops as his eyes land on the trio. His eyes widen in shock as he notices the _Crisis_ comic on the table next to them. He gulps as he sees Kara's red, bloodshot eyes, Olivers intense look of rage, and Barry's empty look of resignation. He slowly makes his way to the trio and takes a seat as far away from Oliver as possible.

"Answers." Oliver growls quietly. "Now."

"Okay, okay," Christian sighed. "How much of that did you guys actually read?"

"Enough," Barry answers. "Enough to know what happens."

"Okay," Christian sighs, running a hand through his hair. "We need to clear this up. These comics," he gestures to the three volumes on the table, "are complete fiction. These are almost completely unrelated to your lives, especially _this_ one." he adds, picking up the _Crisis_ comic.

"So, we don't all die?" Kara asks.

"No, you don't," Christian replies, his composure faltering slightly as he glances at Oliver. Oliver notices it but lets it slide.

"So are these comics just not important?" Barry asks.

"Well, no. They are important." Christian answers. "They just aren't important for you three or your universe. Multiverse. What do I call it?"

"Universe." "Multiverse." Oliver and Kara say at the same time.

"Oookay," Christian continues. "Well, on this earth, these comic books are the basis of a bunch of popular superhero movies and tv shows. I'm sure you guys have heard of Spider-man." The trio nod. "I don't know how it is on your earth, but here Spider-man was created in comic books and later adapted to the screen."

"So what about these comics, then?" Kara questions. "Are our lives based off of them?"

"I mean, yes and no." Christian says. "I told y'all before that there are tv shows based off of your guys' lives, right? These tv shows are loosely, and I stress _loosely_, based off of these comics. I don't know if that translates to your actual lives, but so far, I'm pretty sure it's accurate."

"How accurate?" Oliver presses.

"Well, like I said, I don't really know. I guess…" Christian trails off, then looks at Kara. "Astra died, already, right?"

Kara blinks in surprise, then glances at the floor in sadness. "Yes."

"And you already know that Alex killed her, not J'onn?"

"Yes."

"Okay, so that's something," Christian sighs. "Have you met Mon-El already?"

"Yeah," Kara answers, confused. "What does he have to do with anything?"

"Oh, I'm just trying to figure out how accurate my knowledge of y'all is. Have you already run into Guardian?"

"Yeah," Kara replies warily, before perking up in interest. "Do you know who he is?"

"Yes, but that's not for me to tell." Christian smirks, turning to Barry. "We've already established that Flashpoint has happened, so I'm assuming you've already dealt with Thawne and Zoom?"

Barry nods.

"And right now, Cisco is still mad at you about his brother's death, and you're dealing with a bunch of other timeline changes that I can't remember right now." Christian adds.

"Yeah, but you said Cisco's gonna forgive me, right?" Barry asks, hopefully.

"Well, let's be honest, it's in his nature," Christian says. "He's too lighthearted to keep a grudge." He and Barry chuckle.

"So," Christian starts, turning to Oliver. "Have you…"

"Save it," Oliver stops him. "You're going to ask questions about my life that are completely accurate to what's happened. You don't need to, we've already established that your timeline is correct."

"Even so, I do kinda need to test this, for continuity's sake," Christian states. "If it's unnerving, I get-"

"I don't get-"

"You don't get unnerved, I know. When something new happens, you push back, right or wrong, it's in your nature." Christian finishes, rolling his eyes. Oliver raises his eyebrow in surprise.

"That's exactly what I was about to say," he says questioningly.

"I know, man," Christian says. "Anyway, can I ask my questions about your timeline now?"

"Yeah, sure," Oliver answers offhandedly.

"Okay, but before I do, I do need to apologize for being so blunt with this questioning thing. I need to apologize to you, Kara, and to apologize in advance to you, Oliver."

"Oh, it's alright," Kara smiles. "You just brought back a few painful memories."

"I know, and sadly, I'm about bring back more," Christian responds, looking at Oliver. Oliver stares back. "Did the 503 happen in the Glades?"

Oliver looks down in remembrance. "Yes."

"Did you already deal with the League and H.I.V.E.?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I'm not going to push anymore. I know you want to keep some things close to your chest." Christian says sympathetically.

"Wait, how come you could ask about sensitive things for me but not for him?" Kara pouts.

"Yeah, that was insensitivity on my part." Christian says apologetically. "I realized right after I asked you about that just how rude it was, and so I didn't ask the other two."

Kara scowls playfully at him, then turns back to the other two. "So, we're fine then."

"No, not exactly." Oliver interjects, leaning towards Christian. "You're hiding something important from us."

"I'm hiding a lot of things, you're gonna have to be more specific," Christian chuckles nervously.

"When we were talking about that _Crisis_ comic, you said none of us died. But then you glanced at me and your eyes were clouded. And earlier today, you mentioned something called Crisis, before running off and saying it was something we never should have known about," Oliver pushes. Christian shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "Now, I don't think that it's a coincidence that you mentioned a crisis and there's literally a book here called _Crisis on Infinite Earths_, so what exactly are you hiding, Christian?"

Barry and Kara stare at Christian as Oliver piques their interests. Christian sighs nervously and rubs his hands on his jeans.

"I mean, I told y'all before that I don't want to mess up your timelines," he replies

"I know you said that, but whatever you're hiding seems to be heavily connected with me, so…" Oliver presses.

"Let's be honest," Christian answers, leaning back in his seat. "Everything I'm hiding from you guys is important to your timelines in some way. That's why I can't tell you, or at least I don't think that I can tell you. I'll do some research on the topic, if that makes you feel any better."

Oliver nods in acceptance, but internally resolves to find out what Christian is hiding from them, and from him specifically. Barry and Kara let it drop, satisfied with his answer.

"Anyway, I gotta get back to school, maybe I can pick up some superhero movies on the way back and I can play 'em for y'all to get you up to speed on the popular franchises." Christian says, cracking a smile.

"Ooh, that sounds fun!" Kara excitedly replies. "Are these superheroes also, you know…"

"Real?" Christian answers for her. Kara nods. "No, they're complete fiction, at least in this universe. I mean, you guys are here so them being real is not completely out of the question, just not here."

The trio nods as Christian grabs his backpack and stands up. "I'mma head back now, I'll pick you guys up in an hour or so. I guess you can read more comics or something, I just want to make sure we're clear on the whole 'they aren't pertinent to you' thing." Christian says, stretching.

"Yeah, of course," Barry replies. "Go to your class, or whatever, we'll be here," he adds with a smile. Christian nods and leaves the library.

* * *

"I'm going to figure out what he's hiding, good or bad," Oliver says as soon as Christian is out of earshot.

"Wait, what?" Kara and Barry stare at him, shocked. "He already explained to you why he's hiding what he's hiding, and promised to figure out if he actually needs to hide it or not!" Barry responds, confused.

"He's stalling," Oliver answers. "He's not actually planning on telling us anything, and it's killing him. Something about us being here is hitting close to home."

"Well, yeah, I mean, he thought we weren't real until a day ago," Kara comments. "Why is this so important to you?"

"I need to know," Oliver fires back, his voice rising. "If anything happens to me or Dig or Felicity or to the team or to the city, I need to know. I need to know if Star City is safe from whatever Crisis he's talking about."

"I'm sure we'll find that out when the time is right, for now, we just have to trust his judgement." Kara tries to soothe Oliver's angry outburst.

"Honestly, Kara, I kinda agree with Ollie," Barry interjects. "I mean, if anything were to happen to Iris or the team, I'd really like to know."

"You're really not helping right now," Kara huffs. Barry smirks at her.

"Can you honestly tell me that you aren't curious about what happens to you or your earth?" Oliver asks, trying to get Kara to see his point of view.

"Of course I'm curious," Kara answers pointedly. "But I trust his judgement."

"What, over mine?" Oliver scowls.

"Well, certainly not in a fight or anything," Kara chuckles. "But he knows more about this timeline stuff than you do, and literally knows our futures. If he thinks that there are things we shouldn't know, I think we should trust him on that."

"You really trust him that much? We just met him," Barry questions.

"Well, no, I don't trust him as much as I do you," Kara replies. "But he is willing to help us however he can. I'd say that's pretty trustworthy."

Barry nods. Oliver leans back in his seat, knowing he won't win this argument, but still resolute in his decision to investigate Christian's secrets.

* * *

About an hour later, Christian and Emma meet up with the three at the library.

"Oh, hey!" Kara calls out. "Are we leaving now?"

"That was the plan until I remembered that there's a movie section in the library so we can just go there," Christian chuckles.

"Yes, that is how most libraries work," Oliver adds sarcastically.

Christian chuckles and leads the three to the film section. "Well, let's pick out some movies for starters. Do you guys wanna watch the MCU or the DCEU?"

"What's a DCEU?" Barry asks.

"Oh, yeah. Do you wanna watch the series of movies with some characters you might recognize or a series from an entirely different franchise and continuity?"

"Oh, I guess it might be fun to watch some alternate versions of ourselves," Barry responds, intrigued.

"Okay, then, DCEU it is," Christian says, internally cringing as he grabs _Man of Steel _and the godforsaken _Batman vs. Superman._ After checking them out at the front desk, they head to Christian's car.

"So, for some preface, there's not Green Arrow in this series," Christian says to Oliver, who simply nods in acknowledgement.

"Wait, really?" Barry asks, confused. "I can't imagine a superhero world without the Green Arrow." Oliver rolls his eyes at him.

"Yeah," Chrisian chuckles. "Also, Batman vs. Superman is widely regarded as a horrible movie, so I apologize in advance."

"Oh, well why didn't you tell us that first?" Kara asks light-heartedly.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. The first three movies in this series are pretty bad, and those are all the ones with the DCEU's adaptation of your cousin."

"Oh, how did they do with him, by the way?"

"This version of Superman is absolutely nothing like yours, heh," Christian chuckles in remembrance.

"Oh, why not?" Kara asks.

"Honestly, who knows." Christian deadpans. They get to Christian's car and start the drive home.

"Any music requests?" Christian asks. When no one responds, he shrugs and starts up his Spotify playlist, _Someone You Loved_ starting off the list.

"_...and now the day bleed into nightfall_

_And you're not here to get me through it all_

_I let my guard down and you pulled the rug_

_I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved…"_


	6. Discovery

_**Hey, y'all, I'm finally back! Sorry it took so long to get here lol**_

_**1000\. The story has over 1000 views, y'all. This is legit mind-blowing. I know that doesn't seem like a lot to a lot of y'all, but I came here expecting next to no one to read my fanfic, and now hundreds of people all around the world have. I am in shock and awe and gratitude. Thank you guys so much, and I really hope I am able to keep this interesting for all of you.**_

_**So I currently have a cold and don't even know why I'm writing this at this moment, cuz it might all turn out as gibberish because I can't focus well. But hey, sometimes the chapters I think are the worst are the ones y'all like the most. Take the last one, for example.**_

_**The retconning process will begin after this chapter, and the fanfic will be renamed to "Welcome to Earth Nexus." It has been decided ;P. I'll fix the chapter continuity issues, too (because my gosh there are a lot that I didn't even realize. I can't even keep my own character's name straight smh.)**_

_**Please keep suggesting things, that actually really helps. One of the reasons why it takes so long for me to post new chapters is that I don't actually have a plan or plot written out for this story, I'm just going with the flow lol. **_

_**Also I took the story off of AO3, no one really read it there.**_

_**Anyway, on with the story!**_

* * *

"Wow."

Kara broke the silence after finishing _Batman vs. Superman_. "That is not my cousin at all."

"Wait, are you telling me that on this earth Batman is actually a thing?" Oliver chuckles. Christian, Barry, and Kara look at him in shock.

"Wait, you don't think The Batman is real?" Barry asks, giggling.

"No, I don't." Oliver retorts, annoyed. "He's an urban myth, created by Gotham-"

Barry, Kara and Christian break out into peals of laughter at this.

"I'm the original vigilante!" Oliver shouts in exasperation.

"Alright, have it your way," Kara smirks.

"Yeah, Batman's a pretty popular hero here," Christian answers, still chuckling. "This is all fiction, though."

"Oh, that's right," Barry says. "So this didn't actually happen?"

"Nope, at least not to my knowledge," Christian replies. "There are a bunch of different earths, though, so who knows?"

"Wait, do you guys think I'm not the first vigilante?" Oliver butts in, annoyed.

"Well, I mean, I don't know," Barry chuckles.

"How could you not know? You literally met me because you wanted to see the Starling City vigilante?" Oliver presses.

"Dude, Batman could have existed before you, he could not have. All I know is that he's definitely a real thing," Barry smirks.

"No, Batman is an urban legend!" Oliver exclaims.

"Okay, okay, that's enough, you two!" Kara intervenes, holding back laughter. "How about we talk about something else?"

"Okay, so wait," Barry changes the subject. "If that Superman isn't like your cousin, what's your cousin like?"

"Oh my gosh," Kara chuckles. "Definitely nothing like that! He's so much kinder and softer, he cares for the people around him and he certainly wouldn't try to kill someone like that!"

"So, wait, you have a Superman, too?" Oliver asks.

"Yeah, he's my cousin," Kara answers. "Technically, I'm older than him, but then I got stuck in the Phantom Zone on my way to Earth and now he's older than me."

"The Phantom Zone?" Oliver wonders.

"Oh, it's kind of this place in space where time doesn't move at all. It used to be a prison for Krypton's worst criminals."

"So how'd you get stuck in there?" Barry asks.

"Honestly, I don't know. My pod got knocked off course somehow and I ended up there," Kara answered.

"Huh," Barry nods. "Wait, is your 'pod' that spaceship thing I saw at the DEO?"

"Yeah," Kara smiles.

"Wait, what's a DEO?" Oliver asks, incredulous.

"Oh, on my Earth, there's a government branch called the Department of Extranormal Operations, or the-" Kara starts to answer.

"DEO, got it," Oliver cuts in. "I'm guessing you work for them."

"Well, I wouldn't say _for_ them, more like with them," Kara answers. "My sister Alex works for them, though. She's basically the second-in-command there."

"Oh, that's so cool!" Barry interjects. "I still have to meet her," he adds, chuckling.

"Yeah, you do! We should-" Kara starts.

"Holy crap!" Christian yells, staring at his phone.

"What?" Barry answers, the three of them staring at Christian in surprise.

"Oh, sorry," Christian chuckles self-consciously. "It's just some news."

"Oh, come on," Kara pouts. "If you're gonna yell about it, it's gotta be important."

"Oh, it's nothing," Christain says. "It's just that one of 2019's best movies just got nominated for 11 Oscars."

"11? Wow, that's a lot!" Kara says in surprise. "What movie is it?"

"Oh, um, it's another DC movie, just not DCEU."

"Wait, what does that mean?" Barry asks.

"It's a movie DC made, just not set in the same universe as the two we just watched," Christian answers.

"What movie is it, though?" Oliver asks.

"Uhm, have you guys heard of the Joker?" Christian questions.

"Oh, from the _Dark Knight_ series?" Barry asks.

"Wait, what?" Christian asks confusedly.

"Yeah, that's a big thing back on our Earth, is it not here?" Barry answers.

"I mean, it was for awhile, but then the DCEU happened, I just didn't know that it existed on Earth One," Christian says.

"Yeah, Cisco watches the trilogy a lot," Barry finishes, a trace of sadness evident in his face.

"Oh that's right, he talks about Heath Ledger's Joker in the _Chronicles of Cisco_," Christian says, realization dawning on him.

"Wait, the _Chronicles of Cisco_? What's that?" Barry asks, intrigued.

"Oh yeah, Cisco keeps a diary of the going-ons at Star Labs on his phone that somehow found its way to the public here on Earth Prime." Christian answers, chuckling.

"Huh," Barry says. "Can I read it?"

"Well, given your current situation with him, I think it's better if you ask him first," Christian advises.

"Oh yeah, that's true," Barry says, his face falling slightly.

"So wait, why did you mention the Joker?" Kara asks.

"Oh, the 11 nomination movie is a movie based on a version of the Joker," Christian answers. "It's a lot different from the Heath Ledger version, and pretty heavy, if you ask me. It's a really interesting movie, though."

"Huh," Kara nods.

"Can we see it?" Oliver asks.

"I mean, I don't have it on me, but I can go drive to the nearest Redbox and get it," Christian answers, "if you really wanna see it."

"Yeah, I think I do," Oliver responds.

"Alright, I'll go pick up the movie and also something for dinner," Christian answers. "Anything you guys want?"

"Oh, could you get some pizza?" Barry asks.

"I can get one," Christian says, "because I'm a broke college student. But you need like three, so…"

"Oh, yeah," Barry answers. "It's fine, I still have some of Cisco's protein bars on me. If I get super hungry I can just buy something for myself."

"Sounds good," Christian replies. "So one large pizza with pepperoni, olives, and jalapenos, I'm guessing?"

"Wait, how do you know my pizza order?" Barry asks, confused.

"Bro, we've been over this, I know basically your entire life from the beginning of your superhero journey," Christian answers.

"Well, yeah, but how does my pizza order factor into that?"

"Honestly, I don't even know," Christian admits. "It was a thing at one point, though."

"Huh," Barry shrugs.

"Oliver, you want anything?" Christian turns to him.

"I'm okay with whatever you get," Oliver answers.

"Alright, then. Kara, there's some frozen potstickers in the freezer, so you can make that if you want," Christian says to her.

"Potstickers?!" Kara jumps up excitedly, speeding over to Christian's kitchen. Christian chuckles, following her. He gets out cooking utensils for her to use as she quickly finds said potstickers.

"Alright, are you guys good here?" Christian answers, grabbing his jacket and car keys.

"Yep, I think so," Barry answers.

"Alright, Emma, you good?" Christian calls down the hallway.

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"You sure you're sure?"

"No."

"Okay, then," Christian chuckles. "I'll be right back, y'all," he adds, dialing Pizza Hut and heading out.

* * *

"So I'm guessing you really love potstickers," Barry asks as Kara frantically flips the small dumplings to make sure they don't burn.

"Um, yes!" Kara answers. "They are the actual best!"

"I mean, I don't know if they're the best, per se," Barry says, but stops as Kara glares at him. "Do you need help or anything?" he says, clearing his throat.

"No, I'm good. Where's Oliver, though?" Kara asks, noticing that their friend had disappeared.

"I mean, you have X-ray vision, don't you?" Barry questions.

"Oh, right," Kara laughs. She looks through the walls to see Oliver talking to Emma. "Oh, he's just talking to Christian's sister," she responds. Kara turns her attention back to the potstickers, which had begun to stick to the bottom of the pan. "You jerk, you made me lose focus on these!" she exclaims, punching Barry in the arm.

"Ow, what was that for?" Barry pouts. "Isn't the whole point of potstickers to stick to the pot?"

"Well, I have to actually be able to get them out of the pan to eat them, don't I?" Kara asks exasperatedly.

"Oh, yeah, that makes sense," Barry laughs.

* * *

"Hey, Emma, how's it going?" Oliver asks, entering Emma's room. She looks up from her tablet, a video playing on it.

"Good," she replies, turning her attention back to her device.

"Do you know your brother's computer password?" Oliver asks her.

"No," she replies.

"Do you know the wifi password?" Oliver presses.

"No," Emma yawns.

"Well, is it okay if I look at your tablet for a bit?" Oliver asks, moving closer to her.

"Why?" Emma asks, looking up at him.

"I just want to look something up really quick," Oliver answers.

"You can use your phone," she says.

"My phone doesn't really work right now, could I borrow your tablet?" he asks.

"Ok fine," Emma huffs. "One minute," she adds.

"That's all I need," Oliver smiles. Emma hands him the tablet and he sits next to her. She starts counting the seconds out loud to herself. Oliver chuckles softly, then exits the Youtube app and moves to Chrome. He opens an incognito window and searches for "Green Arrow." A slew of search results appear. He taps on the wikipedia page, opening it to find an overview of the comic version of himself. He shakes his head in disappointment, tapping on _Green Arrow (disambiguation)_. He presses _Oliver Queen (Arrowverse)_, the next most interesting thing. He gasps softly as it opens, a picture-perfect version of himself appearing on-screen, wearing his exact costume. He quickly scans through the overview section, which held no information he was unfamiliar with. He quickly scans through the season overviews, which to his frustration, are extremely vague, the season 5 overview not even revealing the identity of Prometheus. However, he stops as he gets to season 6, frozen in shock as he discovers that Samantha, the mother of his son William, will soon die, and he will be left to take care of William.

"...59, 60! Emma's turn!" Emma interjects, grabbing the tablet from Oliver's frozen hands, exiting the page he was on, and happily returning to her video. Oliver stares at the wall in wonder, speechless. _Samantha's going to die, and I've got to take care of William?_ He wonders. _How is she going to die? How would I take care of him? How can I prevent this?_ He is lost in thought. Eventually, he stops thinking about it, staring blankly at the wall in front of him for minutes on end, his two friends having fun in the kitchen. And as the door opens and Christian walks in, holding a box of pizza and a few takeout boxes of Chinese food, Oliver resolves to confront Christian about Samantha's fate.


	7. Legends

_**Hey, y'all, I'm finally back!**_

_**It's definitely been a hot minute, sorry for the extra long delay this time around. I had a couple of big projects to get through last couple weeks. Both of which I ended up bombing anyway because I'm such a procrastinator lol**_

_**So the retconning process is complete (I think) and we should be able to continue on normally with the story. I'm gonna try and update the story more often, but I'll try my best not to let story updates take longer than two weeks, like this one did. Apologies again for that, lol.**_

_**Welp, I don't have anything more to say, so on with the story!**_

* * *

"I'm back, y'all!" Christian announces.

"Oh, hey!" Kara smiles. "Whatcha got?"

"One large pizza with pepperoni, olives, and jalapenos, and a few orders of orange chicken, chow mein, and kung pao chicken."

"Chinese and pizza, huh?" Barry chuckles. "Not my first choice of cuisine."

"Excuse me?" Kara whips around and stares at Barry. "That's one of the best food combos you can get!"

"Woah, okay, calm down," Barry, says, surprised. Christian chuckles and sets the food on the dinner table.

"How'd the potstickers come out?" he asks.

"They stuck a bit too much," Kara shrugs.

"Well, they are called _potstickers_." Christian chuckles.

"Oh, no, not you too!" Kara groans as Barry and Christian laugh. Kara soon laughs with them.

"Hey, where's Oliver?" Christian asks, grabbing plates and chopsticks.

"I think he went to go talk to your sister," Kara replies, helping him.

"Huh," Christian says. He puts the plates on the table, opening the boxes and dishing out servings of food.

"Wait." Christian stops and jerks upright. "If he is in my sister's room that means he could access her tablet." He starts to run to Emma's room, only to be cut off by Oliver in the hallway.

"Samantha," Oliver states, staring down Christian. "What happens to her?"

Christian takes a breath in apprehension. "What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean," Oliver growls. "I looked myself up on the internet. Samantha is going to die sometime this year, and I'm going to end up taking care of William. What happens?"

"I don't think I should-"

"Oh, stop giving me that!" Oliver shouts exasperatedly. "Just tell me what happens!"

"Hey, what's going on?" Kara asks, walking up to the two.

"Christian is going to tell me what is going to happen to the mother of my son," Oliver growls.

"Wait, you have a kid?" Kara quips. Oliver glares at her.

"Come on, man, you weren't supposed to-"

"Well, I did. And now you're going to tell me why Samantha dies and what I can do to save her and William."

"I can't, man," Christian sighs. "You already know that."

"Fine, I'll find out myself," Oliver states, turning back towards Emma's room.

"Hey, Ollie," Barry calls, speeding in front of him. "You gotta let this go, man."

"Get out of my way, Barry," Oliver scowls.

"No, Ollie," Barry says. "Listen, you've been at this the entire time we've been here, trying to find out our futures. You gotta let it go. We should be focusing on getting back. Besides, trying to change the timeline only messes things up more, you should know that by now."

"Barry, you tried to change your past," Oliver argues. "I'm trying to change my future for the better. I'm trying to make sure no one dies."

"I get that, Oliver, I really do," Barry replies sympathetically. "Don't you think I want to see my future, change whatever needs to be changed to make sure my family and friends are safe? But whenever you try to change time, the future you try to prevent becomes all the more inevitable. All you're going to do is make things worse."

"How can I make things worse?" Oliver asks, frustrated. "I'm just getting information."

"Information that you'll use to try and change your fate."

"Yeah, so?"

"Alright, that's enough," Kara intervenes. "Barry's right, Oliver. You need to let this go."

Oliver grits his teeth and sighs, but relents. "Fine, I will let this go for now, but I will find out what happens to me in the future," he says, glaring at Christian. Christian nods, thankful to the other two for stepping in. All of a sudden, the doorbell rings. The trio look up at the door surprisedly. Christian sighs.

"Oh, right, I forgot that was today," he says. He goes to Emma's room. "Hey, Emma, Richard is here to come pick you up."

"Okay!" Emma smiles, grabs her belongings, and follows Christian to the door. He opens it, revealing his brother, Richard, and his boyfriend, Mitch.

"Hey, bro." Richard greets Christian.

"Hey," Christian replies. Emma runs up and hugs Richard.

"Alright, Emma, you good?" Christian asks.

"Yeah," Emma replies, following Mitch to their car.

"Next week?" Richard asks Christian.

"Yeah."

"'Kay," Richard says, turning and walking off.

"Bye," Christian sighs, closing the door.

"What was that all about?" Kara asks.

"Oh, my brother and I share custody of my sister because she has down syndrome. Since our parents passed, we're her legal guardians." Christian shrugs.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Kara says sympathetically. "I had no idea!"

"It's alright, it's not like I told you guys or anything," Christian says, shrugging again. "Anyway, should we eat before the food gets cold?"

"Sounds good to me," Barry smiles.

* * *

_***Earth Prime, 2020 - The Waverider***_

"Captain Lance, I have detected an anomaly in the timeline," Gideon, the Waverider's AI, says.

"What is it, Gideon?" Sara answers.

"Apparently, Barry Allen, Kara Zor-El, and Oliver Queen mysteriously disappeared during the Xenomorph invasion four years ago."

"Wait, that's wrong," Sara says, confused. "They, no, we beat the Xenomorphs."

"Well, in this new timeline, The Flash, Supergirl, and Green Arrow vanish without a trace. Central City is levelled and every meta-human on Earth is killed, including one Nate Heywood."

"Oh my god," Sara gasps. She turns on the ship comms. "Team meeting, everybody!"

Minutes later, everyone meets on the bridge. "New mission, everybody!" Sara announces. "We need to find 2016 Barry Allen, Oliver Queen, and Kara Danvers before the Dominators destroy the world."

"Wait, hold on," Nate interjects. "The Dominators, as in-"

"Those alien freaks that wanted to kill every meta-human, yes," Sara interrupts.

"Wait, I thought we beat them," Ray says, confused.

"In our timeline, yes, we did. However, in this new timeline, The Flash, Supergirl, and Green Arrow, the three main heroes, disappear out of nowhere and we all lose the battle," Sara says bluntly.

"Wow, that's new." Nate sucks in a breath in surprise.

"Wait, what exactly are Dominators?" Behrad asks, confused.

"Aliens," Mick answers, taking a swig from his beer.

"Wait, aliens?" Zari asks, intrigued. "I _so_ have to get a selfie!"

"No, Zari, these aliens would kill you if you got near them," Sara sighs. "We have to find our friends."

"I believe that I have already located our missing persons, Ms. Lance," Gideon interjects.

"Well, why didn't you say that earlier, Gideon?" Sara quips.

"My apologies, Captain. I only just discovered their whereabouts."

"Well, where are they?" Sara asks.

"They are on a parallel Earth, in the year 2020," Gideon replies.

"Wait, I thought there weren't any more parallel Earths," Ray says, confused.

"I thought there weren't, either," Sara agrees. "Gideon, how is that possible? I thought there was only one Earth now."

"Apparently not, Ms. Lance. This Earth seems to have been unaffected by every change that Oliver Queen made while resetting the multiverse," Gideon answers.

"Huh." Behrad looks at the screen in front of him. "Earth Nexus. Sounds like a cult Earth or something," he chuckles.

"Earth Nexus, eh?" Charlie muses, sitting on the steps of the Captain's Office.

"Wait, Charlie, you've heard of this Earth?" Nate asks.

"Yeah, but nobody thought the bloody thing was real," Charlie replies, standing and walking over to the rest of the team. "It's long been rumored that there was an Earth, named Earth Nexus, where none of us were real, there were no doppelgangers of our lives, and no one knew we existed. However, every detail of our lives was somehow recorded in books or screens. I always thought it was just a myth."

"Huh, that's exciting," Ray says, only to be cut off by a glare from Sara.

"So, how do we get to this other Earth?" Ava asks.

"Could we ask Team Flash for help? They can breach us to other universes, right?" Ray says.

"I don't know if that's possible, especially with how much has changed Post-Crisis." Sara sighs.

"Well, we have to fix this, otherwise we're all doomed! Especially me!" Nate exclaims.

"I know!" Sara shouts. "I don't know what to do, though!"

"What about Johnny?" Charlie suggests. "I bet he could whip up some spell or something to get us there."

"It's a good idea, but I doubt he'd do it," Ray answers, shaking his head.

"Well, how'd you figure that?" Charlie asks.

"He's a man on a mission," Ray answers simply.

"Yeah, but the mission can wait," Constantine says, walking into the room.

"And where the hell have you been?" Sara asks incredulously.

"I've been around, love," he answers, winking. "But the fact is, if we don't get those three blokes back to where they're supposed to be, this entire universe will go out just like _that_," he adds, snapping for effect.

"Well, how exactly do we get there?" Ava asks.

"Hold your horses, darling, I'm getting to that part," he smirks. "This Nexus Earth ain't just a parallel earth. It's a whole other dimension. And inter-dimensional travel is something I can do."

"Wait, wait, hold on," Sara butts in. "Earth Nexus is a parallel dimension?"

"Well it makes sense," Charlie says. "I mean a universe where no doppelgangers of us exist, but each of our stories are well-known?"

"But, it's another _Earth_, not dimension," Ray says.

"Charlie's right, Raymond." John answers. "This Earth is completely in it's own category."

"Alright, so what do we have to do?" Sara says.

"Just sit back," - he starts opening a portal - "relax," - his portal engulfs the ship - "and enjoy the ride, love." The ship is engulfed in an interdimensional portal and spirals violently around, the crew thrown around the bridge as the Waverider makes its way into a new dimension.


	8. Mission

_**What's up y'all, back at it again! I don't have much to say for an intro this time, so we're gonna get right into the story. Before we do that, though, I want to thank all of you for reading and reviewing. It really means a lot :) Special thanks to CF2, I look forward to reading your reviews each chapter. Thanks a ton!**_

* * *

"What the bloody hell was that?" Charlie yells, disoriented. The team slowly gets up, having been tossed around on their way to Earth Nexus.

"It's an interdimensional portal, love," Constantine smirks. "Made for one person. And we just squeezed an entire ship into it."

"Well, could you give us a little warning next time?" Sara shouts, exasperated. She takes a glance at the console screens. "We made it."

"You sure?" Nate asks, queasy. Beside him, Mick throws up onto the floor. Zari looks away, disgusted.

"Yes, Dr. Heywood. We have indeed arrived on Earth Nexus," Gideon answers.

"Gideon," Ray asks, "when in Earth Nexus are we?"

"The year 2020," Gideon answers. "January 13, 2020, to be exact."

"Huh," Ava says. "Why did we go back in time?"

"We came to this time to find Mr. Queen, Mr. Allen, and Mrs. Zor-el," Gideon responds.

"Gideon," Sara interrupts. "Can you run facial recognition or something, we gotta find these three as soon as possible."

"Of course, Captain," Gideon answers, starting her search. The rest of the team finish gathering themselves, most still disoriented from the jump. The only one standing unaffected was Constantine.

"Why aren't you dizzy like the rest of us?" Zari asks Constantine, confused.

"Oh, believe me, love, this ain't the first time I've done this," he answers. "I've been to Hell more times than you can imagine, a simple dimension jump is nothing."

"Wait, how is this a new dimension?" Ray asks. "Shouldn't a different dimension be substantially different from ours? This earth looks pretty much the same."

"Yeah, well, there's parallel dimensions, too." Constantine shrugs. "I don't fully understand the whole thing, but it's like those old parallel earths we had. Just, dimensions."

"Huh," Ray nods.

"I've located our missing persons, Captain Lance," Gideon chimes.

"Great, where are they?"

"They are in an apartment complex a few miles west."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Sara smirks. "Let's go save our friends!"

* * *

_***Earth Nexus - Christian's Apartment***_

"...What did we just watch?" Barry asks, dumbfounded. Barry, Oliver, Kara, and Christian had just finished watching _Joker_.

"I told you it was a heavy movie," Christian shrugs.

"That's, like, beyond heavy. That's…"

"It's raw," Oliver answers for him. "It's raw, gritty, and unapologetic. I like it."

"You like it?" Kara asks, shocked. "That was such a weird and dark movie! How could you like that?"

"Yeah, it's, like, unnecessarily dark. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't watch it again," Barry adds.

"You _enjoyed_ it?" Kara turned to him, incredulous.

"Hey, everyone has their tastes," Christian interrupts her.

"Clearly," she shakes her head, turning to Christian. "What do you think of it?"

"It's a really good movie, I think. I wouldn't watch it regularly, though. It is pretty dark," he answers.

"How do you guys like this?!" Kara exclaims.

"Look at who you're asking," Oliver says ironically. Kara stops and cracks a smile.

"Good point," she chuckles.

"I mean, come on. One of your favorite movies is Wizard of Oz, so…" Christian smirks.

"Wait," Kara turns sharply to face him. "How did you know that?"

"Honestly, I pick up on the weirdest details. Just like how I know Barry's pizza order," he answers. Kara shrugs and turns back towards Barry, but Oliver stares hard at Christian.

"So what time do you guys normally go to sleep?" Christian asks, looking at his watch.

"It varies," Oliver answers bluntly. Christian stares blankly at him before turning to the other two.

"Whenever we can, really," Barry answers.

"I mean, it's midnight, do y'all wanna hit the sack? I mean you guys only got a few hours of sleep yesterday, so," Christian suggests.

"Sounds good to me!" Kara smiles. Barry nods in agreement, and the trio stand and make their way to Christian's bedroom.

"Wait, hold on," Christian stops them. "Since Emma's with her brother, someone can sleep in her room, and one of y'all can use my bed. I'll sleep out here, so someone has to use a mattress still."

"Are you sure?" Kara asks. "I don't want to just kick you out of your own bed."

"Hey, it's no big deal," he shrugs. "I've fallen asleep on the couch lots of times." They nod and go their ways, Kara claiming Emma's room and Barry getting Christian's bed. Oliver sticks to his mattress, and the three quickly fall asleep, exhausted from the events of the day prior and from their unintentional interdimensional travel. Christian remains awake, doing a quick workout then opening up his computer to start working on his music project.

* * *

_***Earth Nexus - The Waverider***_

"Okay, guys," Sara addresses her teammates, "I'm gonna go inside and find out which apartment our friends are in. If all goes well, we should be able to get in and out and go."

"And if all doesn't go well?" Charlie asks.

"Then we're screwed," Sara answers.

"Wait, so you're benching us?" Zari asks, frowning.

"How many of us do you think are going to need to go in that apartment?" Sara asks ironically. "We're not trying to make a huge mess or anything."

"Oh, you mean like we always do?" Nate quips. Behrad chuckles and they fist-bump.

"Just trust me on this, alright?" Sara sighs, rolling her eyes. "If I need help, I'll let you guys know. For now, just stay put and try not to tear apart the ship, alright?"

"Got it, cap," Nate answers, mock-saluting her. Zari, Behrad, Charlie, and Ray follow suit. Sara rolls her eyes in mock annoyance, sticking her tongue out at them and leaving the ship to go search for her friends.

"So, what do we do now?" Ray asks after a few moments of awkward silence.

"I need more beer," Mick says, getting up and walking to the ship's galley.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Charlie grins, following suit. Constantine chuckles and follows the pair. Zari shrugs and goes back to her phone, as Ray goes to his lab and Nate and Behrad head to Behrad's room to play some games. Ava stays on the bridge and monitors the console.

A few minutes of walking later, Sara reaches Christian's apartment complex. "Guys," she whispers into her earpiece, "which room am I going to?"

Ava stares blankly at the console, then quickly snaps at Gideon. "What room are they in?"

"I'm not sure, Ms. Sharpe."

"Well, can't you find them?" Ava asks.

"Unfortunately, I cannot. There is no record of them inside of the building. The building's camera systems have been down over the past few weeks." Gideon replies.

"Ugh," Sara sighs.

"Can't you just, like, talk to the front desk person?" Zari suggests.

"It's midnight," Sara states. "No one's going to be there."

"Well, I tried," Zari shrugs.

"Can't you just knock on every door?" Ava asks, frustrated.

"And get myself kicked out?" Sara chuckles.

"Well, what are you going to do?"

"Well, there's only 12 units over 3 floors, so I could look in the windows or something." Sara suggests.

"Well, what if someone sees you?" Ava worries.

"Trust me, babe, they won't," Sara smirks.

A few minutes of searching later, Sara comes across Christian's apartment's bedroom window. Unluckily for her, the curtains were drawn, and she couldn't see inside. However, this was the only apartment that she couldn't see into (she could usually find a small open spot to peek through), making her suspicious. She decides to look through the main window, seeing Christian working away on his laptop.

* * *

_***Christian's Apartment***_

"'Barry, is that you?' Kara asks.

'Yeah, it's me,' he smiles at her.

'Oh, thank Rao!,"

"Wait, no," Christian stops. "No one's gonna know who Rao is." He starts retyping.

"'Oh, thank God!," Kara sighs with joy, hugging Barry."

"Wait, they aren't in love," Christian sighs. "The heck? Why is this so hard to write?"

"Why is what so hard to write?" Barry asks from the hallway.

"Oh, I'm working on a script for a musical," Christian answers.

"Oh, which one?" Barry asks, walking over to him.

"Uhh," Christian stalls.

"Is it something I'm not supposed to see?" Barry frowns.

"Yeah," Christian says apologetically.

"Oh," Barry says, disappointed. "Why not?"

"Well, it's kinda a super important thing in your life," Christian says. "I can't really show you because then you might not…"

"Do it?" Barry finishes. Christian nods. "Well, is it good or bad?"

"I mean, it's good, but I can't tell you because it's kinda a super big thing."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Barry chuckles, backing up. "I was actually just heading to the bathroom, so…"

"Oh, sure, yeah. Go do that," Christian and Barry chuckle, as the latter heads to the restroom and the former returns to his work. Seconds later, Barry walks right back out and heads to his room.

"Wait I thought you had to use the bathroom?" Christian asks, confused. Barry smirks at him.

"Ohhhh," Christian says with realization. Barry chuckles again and goes into his room.

"Speedsters," Christian laughs, shaking his head. All of a sudden, he hears a knock on his front door. _That's odd,_ he thinks. _No one comes by this time of night._ He gets up and makes his way over to the door, attempting to check the peephole, but discovering it blocked. He cautiously unlocks the door and begins to open it, when the door is kicked open and he is knocked back.

"Who are you and what have you done to my friends?" Sara yells, charging Christian. Though stunned, Christian rolls to the left to avoid Sara's attack. She pivots and swings her staff at Christian, who rolls out of the way again. She steps towards him, swinging again. Christian takes the hit on his back, but dives into her knee, causing her to fall forwards. Christian gets up and runs to the kitchen, grabbing the biggest knife he can find, before turning around and taking a kick to his face. Sara tries to hit the knife from his hand, but misses as Christian ducks, hitting the wall instead. Christian knocks his elbow into hers, bending it inwards. She hisses in pain and slams her staff into his head, causing him to yelp.

Christian thrusts his knife towards Sara's midsection, narrowly missing her side. She rams her staff into his arm, causing him to drop the knife, but he capitalizes on the momentum and clocks her in the face. Surprised, Sara stumbles back, and Christian tries to kick her in the stomach, but she grabs his leg and throws him forward into another wall, cracking it and nearly knocking Christian unconscious. She drives her staff into his chest and glares at him.

"I said," she growls, pushing her staff harder against his chest, "Who are you and what have you done to my friends?" Christian gasps with pain, but manages to kick her leg out from underneath her, causing her to hit the floor face-first. He tries to get up and run away, but Sara jumps up and puts him in a choke hold. He tries to break free, but can't, and gives up, struggling for air.

"I'll ask you one last time. Who are you and what have you done to my friends?" She yells.

"Sara?"


	9. Dimensions

_**It's corona time, y'all! **_

_**In all seriousness, do what the government says and stay quarantined. Even if I think this whole situation is idotic, it's an introvert's dream so I'm cool with it.**_

_**So we got a new chapter out yeet. I don't really know what to say about this chapter, it's kinda more filler. I've got some ideas for some more exciting plots and stuff. Let me know if y'all have any ideas. **_

_**Also, I write the intros before I write the story so if there ends up being an actual twist or something don't blame me. I don't know what's going on half the time lol.**_

_**Bon voyage y'all.**_

* * *

"Sara?"

Sara looks up and gasps, seeing Oliver standing in the doorway. She drops Christian, who falls to the floor coughing and gasping for breath.

"Ollie?" she whispers.

"Sara, is this really you?" Oliver asks, skeptical.

"Yes, yes, it's really me," she smiles, tears coming to her eyes as she walks to him. "And you're really...you," she chuckles.

"What do you mean?" Oliver asks, taking a step back.

"Oliver, you," Sara starts, clenching her teeth, "you-"

"_*ahem*_" Christian, now standing, clears his throat. Sara whips around, glaring at him. Christian ignores her and looks at Oliver. "Can I have a quick word with her?"

"Why?" Oliver asks.

"You know why," Christian sighs, grimacing. Oliver nods and goes back to his room.

"What did you do to them?" Sara growls, marching over to him and holding her staff up to his throat. Christian leans back slightly and sighs.

"Do I look like a scientist?" he says sarcastically. "Do I look like someone who's able to do anything to _them_? The hell am I supposed to do to a speedster, Kryptonian, and the freaking Green Arrow?"

"How do you know who they are?" Sara starts shouting.

"Ugh," Christian groans. "Do I really have to explain this again?" he grumbles under his breath.

"What?" Sara asks.

"Never mind. Do you want to sit down or something? It's a bit of a long explanation," he says, gesturing to his couch. Sara glares at him.

"Okay, no sitting then." Christian clears his throat and turns to get a drink, but is stopped as Sara pushes her staff into his throat.

"Talk. Now."

"Alright, alright, calm down." Christian sighs and faces Sara. "What day is it for you?"

"What?" Sara asks, confused.

"What day is it for you? Or, well, what day _should_ it be for you? Given the white getup you're already with the Legends, so what day should it be for you?"

"Wait, how do you know this?"

"I'll get to that, I just need you to answer this question." Christian responds.

"I'm not answering any questions until you tell me what the hell is going on!" Sara shouts, pushing her staff into Christian's neck, making him choke. She pulls back slightly so he can breathe.

"Here's the thing," Christian starts, gasping, "Like these three, what I tell you depends on what day it is for you. You as a time traveler should know, you're not supposed to tell people their futures."

"How do you know who I am?" Sara presses.

"What day is it?" Christian asks.

"What the hell is going on?"

"What day is it?"

"Who are you and how do you know who I am? How do you know who they are?" Sara borderline screams.

"What. Day. Is. It?"

Sara clenches her fist, glaring at Christian and breathing heavily. She sighs, defeated. "February 26."

"What year?"

"Why is that important?"

Christian sighs. "Because of Crisis."

Sara takes a step back, shocked. "How do you-"

"Okay, so 2020. Great. We have a timeline." Christian clasps his hands together and sighs. "So given that you're here right now, you probably already know that it's January 14th, right?" Sara nods slowly, confused.

"Okay, great. So this is Earth Nexus, where superheroes don't exist, yet your guys' lives are played out for all the world to see on the small screen." Christian says nonchalantly. Sara blinks a few times, processing the information.

"So Charlie was right?" Sara asks.

"What?"

"Charlie said that none of us exist here but our stories are told through books and movies." Sara said, lowering her staff.

"Well, that's partially true," Christian explains. "Your specific stories are only told through tv series, so…"

"And do Barry, Oliver, and Kara know this?" Sara questions.

"Well, they kinda have to," Christian shrugs. "If they were to run into the actors that play them and think that they were doppelgangers that would go very badly." Christian chuckles before continuing. "However, since these are the 2016 versions of them, I've been trying my best to withhold any and all information about their futures from them."

Sara nods slowly. "Do you know how they ended up here?" she asks.

"I have no idea, honestly," Christian replies. "Apparently, in this altered timeline, that agent person that cut a deal with the Dominators hit the three of them with some laser thing and they ended up here."

"That's not supposed to happen," Sara says, frowning.

"I know," Christian replies. "I just don't know what changed in the timeline for this to happen."

"Well, right now, all that matters is getting them back," Sara says.

"And how exactly are you going to do that?" Christian questions.

"Same way we got here, Constantine and the Waverider."

"Ah," Christian nods. "So I'm guessing Charlie didn't tell you the rest of the myth?"

"Wait, what?"

"The problem with Earth Nexus is that it occupies a place in time and space that is very easy to access but nearly impossible to escape. That's why no one's been able to find a way for them to get back home." Christian says. Sara grimaces and turns around to talk to her team.

"Ava, get Charlie," she whispers violently.

"Okay, babe," Ava replies. Seconds later, Charlie is at the comms.

"Yeah, boss?" she says.

"Why didn't you tell me that we can't return from Earth Nexus?" Sara whisper-screams.

"Wait, I thought that was just part of the legend," she replies. "I didn't know that was a real thing."

"Well, apparently it is, and apparently now we're stuck here."

"Bloody hell," Charlie groans. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know!" Sara yells. "Just, let me think."

Sara turns back to Christian and stares at him for a few seconds, thinking. Christian stands facing her with his arms crossed.

"Do you know why it's nearly impossible for us to return?" Sara asks.

"Well, no," Christian shrugs, "not for sure. There is a prevailing theory, though, that it has to do with energy."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, given that Earth Nexus is so far removed from all the other dimensions, it has basically no interdimensional energy. I think that that's why it became a myth; because it's so astronomically different and yet weirdly the same as the other earths." Christian rambles.

"Huh," Sara says quizzically. "Do you have any theories on how to get back?"

"Sadly, no," Christian frowns. "I'm not exactly the smart guy in the room, I just spend way too much time on the Internet." Sara chuckles.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to learn as much as I can about this Earth to possibly find a way off of it," Sara says.

"That's one way to do it."

"So how much of our lives do you know, exactly?" Sara asks, changing the subject."

"Up until today."

"And what exactly is _today_?"

"Well, I'd tell you, but I'm 99% sure that Barry, Oliver, and Kara are listening to our conversation right now, and since the walls here are thin, it's not all that hard to hear everything we're saying," Christian smirks.

Sara smiles and shakes her head. "Yeah, knowing them, they probably are," she adds.

"Hey, you don't have to call us out on it," Barry calls from the other room. Sara and Christian both chuckle as the three walk into the living room, barely awake.

"So I'm guessing y'all heard all of that?" Christian asks.

"Yep," Kara says.

"Is there really no way for us to get back home?" Oliver asks.

"Now hold on, I didn't say there was no way, I just said I don't have any theories," Christian says, trying to reassure them. "We'll figure something out."

"And how long will that take?" Oliver pushes.

"Chill, man, I'm not a scientist," Christian rolls his eyes. "We'll figure it out when we do. For now, can we all go back to sleep? It's way too late for this." The group chuckles and Barry, Oliver, and Kara head back to their rooms.

"Hey, uh, sorry for-" Sara starts.

"Trying to kill me?" Christian quips.

"Yeah, that."

"It's all good, I get it." he replies, smirking.

"Heh, okay," Sara chuckles. "I'm going to head back to the Waverider."

"Alright," nods Christian.

"We'll work on figuring something out tomorrow, right?"

"Definitely."


	10. Confusion

_**And we're back at it again. Christian and the gang are gonna visit a few places this time around, including the much-requested comic store XD. However, next chapter will be the one where Christian sees the rest of Crisis. Get ready for that one lol.**_

_**Also, I began working on a new story called "Gone in a Flash." Chapter One is up now on my profile, go check it out. It's a Flash/Avengers crossover fanfic set during Flash 6x15 and Captain America: Civil War. It may or may not tie slightly into this one lol.**_

_**Thanks for reading, and enjoy!**_

* * *

_The Flash is thrown against a wall as the scene cuts in. "Where am I?" he asks, confused. _

"_You're in the Speed Force, Barry," Oliver Queen replies, standing in front of him._

"_Oliver," Barry whispers in shock, now standing. _

_TUESDAY JANUARY 14_

"_The Anti-Moniter is at the dawn of time," Oliver says as the Paragons appear in a green/gray-shaded universe. _

_THE CRISIS FINALE_

"_He's extremely powerful," Oliver says, the Anti-Moniter standing and facing them. "The eight of us might not be enough."_

"_Oh my god," Kara gasps, staring up._

_CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, THE CW'S CROSSOVER EVENT CONCLUDES TONIGHT 8/7 CENTRAL._

* * *

"Ho-ly shit." Christain gasps after seeing the trailer for the Crisis finale. He was lying on the couch, having just woken up, and was scrolling through Instagram. He had stopped at the trailer and was now frozen in shock, awe, and elation.

"That's dope, man," he says to himself. "Why do they have to make me wait till tonight? I have to go to school and not think about this," he pouts. He sighs and stands up, not noticing the man in the hallway entrance.

Oliver stands still in shock. He had been pacing around his room when he heard Barry's voice. Noticing that Barry himself was still asleep, he had rushed to the source of the sound, only to see Christian watching the trailer. From his vantage point, he couldn't see the screen; however, he heard every word. And what he heard shocked him.

Christian yawns and heads to the kitchen, putting a small pan on the stove and tossing a pat of butter into it. He cracks a couple eggs into the pan, adds some salt and pepper, then turns around and yelps. Oliver stands inches away from him.

"Who the hell is the Anti-Moniter?" he questions harshly.

"Wha-"

"Don't bullshit me," Oliver growls. "I heard the thing you were watching. That was very clearly my voice saying something about the Anti-Moniter at the dawn of time. I _also_ heard Barry's voice. So what the hell is going on?"

Christian blankly stares at him, inwardly panicking. He then starts nervously chuckling.

"You think this is funny?" Oliver shouts.

"Dude, remember how I said that on this earth, you guys are played by actors?" Christian laughs, acting slightly less nervous. "Yeah, well, those actors look and sound exactly like y'all. And, as actors, have to act in other movies and shows," Christian finishes, hoping that Oliver would buy his lie.

Oliver relaxes a lot, but still doesn't fully believe him. "So what's the so-called 'Crisis on Infinite Earths?' You mentioned a crisis that we weren't supposed to know about, and there was a comic Kara found called 'Crisis on Infinite Earths.'"

Christian tries his hardest to act calm as he thinks of another lie to tell Oliver. "Uh, well, like I said, the actors act in different things." Oliver nods in acknowledgement. "It's just another thing they're acting in."

"Does it have something to do with us?" Oliver presses.

"Honestly, I wouldn't know." Oliver raises his eyebrow as Christian quickly clarifies, "I wouldn't know unless I watched it, now would I?"

Oliver backs off, but narrows his eyes. "You're still hiding something," he frowns.

"Yeah, my morning wood," Christian jokes. Oliver makes a face in disgust and walks away. Christian plates his now slightly burnt eggs and breathes a sigh of relief. _I wonder if he bought that,_ he thinks. Deep down, he knew that Oliver didn't, and was just backing off because he knew that he wouldn't answer him. _I have to talk to Sara about this,_ he resolves. _She'd know what to do._

* * *

_***Earth Nexus - The Waverider***_

Sara had no idea what to do.

She and her team were stranded on a different earth, no, _dimension_ with no way back, and to top it off, Kara, Barry, and Oliver were stuck here, too. But the 2016 versions. God, time travel is weird.

She takes a swig of alcohol - which kind, she neither knew or cared - and leans back in her chair, deep in thought. _I have to talk to the kid,_ she thinks. _I have to know how they got here, and when they got here. I also have to know what they know. I don't even know what they're _allowed _to know. _She takes another swig and stands up.

"Gideon?" she calls out to the AI.

"Yes, Captain?"

"Where's the kid?" she asks.

"I'm sorry?"

"Christian. The one that Barry, Kara, and Olvier are staying with. Where is he?" Sara clarifies.

"I believe that the man you are searching for is still at his apartment, Ms. Lance. However, he does appear to be leaving."

"How do you figure that?" Sara asks, furrowing her brow.

Wordlessly, Gideon pulls up a live camera feed of Christian, having pulled on a sweater and a beanie, throwing his backpack into his car and beckoning the others to follow.

"Well, start with that next time," Sara smirks.

"My apologies, Captain Lance."

"Any idea where they're going?" she asks.

"I believe that this Christian that you are looking for is going to school, or more specifically, to a community college, hence the backpack."

"Right," Sara nods. "And what about the other three?"

"I'm not sure, however, it is likely that they would go to the library adjacent to Christian's school."

"Alright," Sara says. "Can you take us there?"

"Not without being spotted, Ms. Lance. The area is too populated for us to land unnoticed. You're going to have to travel by foot."

Sara sighs. "Alright, have someone come down here. I need someone to give me directions."

"Use your phone," Mick says behind her. Sara whirls around and glares at him, slightly confused. "How long have you been there?" she asks.

"The whole time," he answers, taking another sip from his beer bottle.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Rory, Ms. Lance cannot use her phone. Due to the differences in vibrational and dimensional energy, the wavelengths required to power her device are drastically different, and the only for her to be able to use it would be to connect to a source of WiFi."

"Huh," Mick shrugs. "Always hated different earths."

"Don't you have something to do?" Sara scowls.

"Yeah, get more beer," Mick replies, standing and walking off. Sara sighs and shakes her head, palming her face with a chuckle.

"Hey, boss," Mick calls.

"What?"

"You planning an orgy?" he responds with a slight smirk.

Sara scrunches up her face in disgust and marches over to Mick. "What the hell makes you think that?"

"You and I both know you have the hots for Skirt. You used to bang Robin Hood. You're following the kid around, and Red would be all for it." he answers, taking another swig of his beer.

"You're disgusting," Sara scoffs, punching him.

* * *

_***Earth Prime - Christian's school - a few hours later***_

Christian gets out of school a bit early and heads to the library, where Kara, Barry, and Oliver were situated. He stares off as he walks, lost in thought. He wonders what he could tell the team, what information they'd be able to take. He knew that they were all dying to know what happens to them in their futures, some more than others, but he didn't know if he'd be jeopardizing any future timelines. He resolves to talk to the Legends before making any decisions himself. A choice he doesn't fully want to make, but figures will help more than hurt.

He walks into the library and motion Kara, Barry, and Oliver over to him. They get up and walk over, Kara looking slightly confused. "What's up?" she asks.

"So, remember how I said that y'all were in comics and tv shows and stuff on this earth?" Christian asks them, whispering. Barry and Kara nod. "So, I figured it'd be cool to go look at some old comics of different versions of you guys. What do you think?"

"Sounds fun," Barry answers as Kara nods enthusiastically.

"Aren't there enough comics in the library?" Oliver questions sarcastically.

"Yeah but there's more at an actual comic store," Christian smirks. Oliver nods and Kara perks up.

"Wait, we're going to a store that sells comics about us?" she asks excitedly.

"Yeah, you guys, some other guys, some guys from other universes, and the like," Christian shrugs. "I'm broke, though, so if you guys wanna keep it you have to buy it yourselves. I usually just go to look."

Christian drives the group to the nearest comic store and they all walk inside, Kara immediately gasping in excitement and running over to the nearest Superman comic. Barry chuckles, but then his eye is caught by some Flash comics. As Barry walks around, Oliver looks around the store before smirking and settling on a Batman comic. Christian smirks and starts to follow them when a knock on the door distracts him. He turns and sees Sara, gesturing to him to come outside, which he quickly does.

"Sara?" he questions. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I needed to talk to you," she answers hurriedly.

"Wait, wait, hold on," Christian stops her. "Someone's gonna see you and think you're Caity Lotz," he says, pulling off his beanie. "Put this on."

"Thanks," she says, pulling the beanie down just above her eyes. "I wanted to ask, how much of their futures did you tell them?"

"I didn't tell them anything," Christian responds. "Oliver, being the stubborn SOB that he is, figured out that his son's birth mom died, and probably suspects that he's gonna die. He also caught me watching a trailer for the last two episodes of Crisis. I managed to lie about it and make him think it was something else, but that's it."

Sara nods. "Do you have any idea what we can tell them?"

"I thought you were supposed to know that."

"I know, I know," Sara answers. "But honestly, we're stuck here for God knows how long, and sooner or later they're going to find out something. I just don't know what should be kept hidden for good and what they should be allowed to find out."

"Can't y'all just use your mind wipe thingies?" Christian asks.

"They're short-term," Sara answers. "We'd have to flash them every single time they find out something, and that would mess with their brains in the long run."

"Can't Constantine wipe their minds or something?"

"Maybe," Sara sighs. "I don't know if he can. And even if he can, I don't know how much it'd hurt them. And then, I'd feel guilty about it."

"Hm," Christian sighs.

"Sara?"

The two whirl around, noticing Kara by the door. "What are you two doing?"

"Wait, you didn't just hear our whole conversation?" Christian asks.

"No, I was busy trying not to get irritated at this comic for messing up my cousin," Kara says. "Barry moved on to Spider-man comics, and Oliver's reading Batman comics trying to convince himself that Batman isn't real," she finishes with a smirk. "What are you two doing?"

"We're, uh," Sara starts.

"Trying to figure out what we're allowed to tell you guys," Christian says bluntly.

"Oh," Kara blinks. "Well, you finish doing that then," she smiles, heading back inside.

Sara and Christian chuckle. "Wanna go inside?" Christian asks her.

"Sure, why not," Sara smirks.


	11. Crisis

_**WOOHOO A NEW CHAPTER!**_

_**This was going to be the chapter in which Christian watches Crisis. However the story didn't progress that way XD. Trust me, we'll definitely get to it next chapter.**_

_**Thanks for all the reads and reviews and follows and favorites! It means so much and its so awesome. I never would have imagined that so many people would enjoy my stories. And sorry if my thanks gets repetitive lol. I still can't believe it, and its been like 4 months since I started. Also, thanks for 3000 views! That's friggin amazing.**_

_**Before we get into the chapter i do want to address someone's comment about the last one. Oliver seemed to give up easily when confronting Christian about the Crisis trailer. I know it seems a bit out of character, but trust me, its not. Oliver understood that he wouldnt get anywhere with Christian at that point and let it go. But, like we all know, he's still planning to find something out.**_

_**Also I sprained my foot or something, so no better time to do this, right?**_

_**Enjoy the chapter!**_

* * *

"See?" Oliver smirks, pointing to the comic he bought. "Batman isn't real."

"Man, that doesn't even prove anything," Barry rolls his eyes. "The comics of ourselves aren't even close to true."

"No, no, he's definitely real," Kara cuts in.

"There is no way."

"Uh, yes there is!"

"Oh my god, you're still on this?" Sara sighs, interrupting them.

"Of course I am," Oliver says. "I'm the original vigilante!"

"Ugh," Sara frowns. Christian chuckles. The five of them are in his car on the way back to his apartment. The trip to the comic store had been largely uneventful, the trio already knowing that everything was inaccurate to their lives. Kara was unnerved by the differences of iterations of her cousin (she had picked up a few of the recent _Injustice_ comics) and Barry was mostly looking over Marvel comics, the _Civil War_ comic catching his eye. Oliver spent his time looking over the Batman comics, convincing himself that Batman wasn't real. In the end, only Oliver bought anything; _Batman (Volume 1)_, to be exact.

"Should we?" Sara asks, glancing at Christian.

"Should we what?" he asks, confused.

"Ya know," she says, gesturing towards Oliver.

"Oh," Christian laughs. "I don't know, what do you think?"

"I kinda really want to," Sara smirks.

"But will that mess anything up?" Christian asks.

"Nah, it shouldn't, right?"

"Wait, what are you guys talking about?" Kara asks. Sara and Christian glance at each other and chuckle.

"So, uh," Christian begins, before quickly focusing back on the road as he slams on his brakes to avoid hitting a car.

"Do you even have a license?" Oliver quips sarcastically.

"Ha, ha," Christian rolls his eyes.

"So, Ollie," Sara begins, smirking mischievously, "you're wrong."

Oliver raises his brow. "Excuse me?"

"You're wrong," Sara repeats.

"About what?"

"Batman."

"Excuse me?" Oliver frowns, his voice raising. "Are you telling me that you actually believe the whole Batman urban legend?"

"No, I'm telling you Batman is real," Sara smirks.

"Oh, come on," Oliver sighs. "Not you, too."

"She's not wrong," Christian chimes in.

"What?" Oliver starts to yell.

"I mean, Batman's definitely real, he just left Gotham. Being a vigilante kinda took its toll," Christian elaborates.

"He's a LEGEND. A MYTH. BATMAN IS NOT REAL." Oliver stresses. Barry and Kara are trying their hardest not to laugh.

"Oliver, I've met Batwoman," Sara says definitively. Oliver stops and stares at her in surprise. Barry and Kara look at her with interest.

"There can't have been a Batwoman if there was no Batman to start the whole thing. Besides, she told me she literally knows Batman. Or, well, who he actually is," Sara says. "So, yeah, he's real."

"On multiple earths, too," Christian adds. Sara looks at him in confusion.

"Remember when Batwoman and the Paragon of Hope went to Earth 99 looking for the Paragon of Courage?" Christian asks Sara. She nods in affirmation. "Yeah, well, they literally met the retired Batman there."

Oliver stares at the two in shock. Barry and Kara start laughing, Sara and Christian later joining them. "So, Ollie," Barry smirks, "what do ya think of Batman now?" Oliver glares at him as the rest of the group laugh even more.

* * *

_***A few hours later***_

"So, you got anything new for us to watch?" Kara asks Christian hopefully. They had just finished eating, and Christian was putting the dishes in the dishwasher.

"Not really, I got a crap ton of homework to catch up on," Christian frowns. "Tomorrow I was gonna show y'all some episodes of your own shows, if that's something you guys would be interested in."

"Uh, of course!" Kara responds excitedly. "Wait, does that mean I get to find out who Guardian is?"

"No, no no," Christian shakes his head emphatically. "That's for you to discover on your own. Though, trust me, you'll find out soon."

"What would we watch, then?" Kara asks.

"Stuff that's already happened. I mean, I've got 4 years worth of Ollie's life and 2 years worth of Barry's life up in here. And also a year's worth of yours. Basically from the plane incident with your sister till the battle with Non and Indigo." Kara nods in understanding.

"Also," Christian adds, "There's actually a lot y'all don't know about each other. I think it'd be good for y'all to get a look into each other's lives."

"That does sound interesting," Kara agrees. "What can we do today?"

"Well, a good idea would be to start brainstorming ideas for getting back," Christain answers. "You don't wanna be stuck here forever. When you're done with that, though, I can put on some Marvel movies for you guys. That'd be fun for y'all, I think."

"Alright, sounds good!" Kara says cheerily, smiling at him and walking off.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Sara asks, standing behind him.

"I've gotta distract them from their futures," Christian responds. "Knowing about each other's pasts shouldn't hurt." Sara nods.

"What are you really going to do?" she asks. Christian turns to face her, raising his eyebrow.

"Come on, it's kind of obvious you don't have a lot of homework, otherwise you'd actually be working on it," Sara smirks.

"Am I that easy to read?" Christian pouts. The two chuckle.

"In all seriousness, I'm going to watch the last two episodes of _Crisis_," he answers.

"With them here?" Sara questions. "Isn't that a bad idea?"

"It probably is, but as long as my earphones are in, I should be fine, right?"

"I mean, sure, but we don't know the extent of Kara's super-hearing," Sara frowns. "What if she hears it through your headphones?"

"Ah, I doubt it," Christian shrugs. "It's not like she's fully mastered her powers or anything."

Sara nods. "Well, do ya mind if I watch with?"

"Are you sure?" Christian asks, concerned. "Are you sure you want to relive whatever happens?"

"It's not ideal, no," Sara grimaces. "But it'd be good to get a different perspective."

"Well, if you're sure," Christian says. Sara nods in assurance. She walks off, and Christian returns to the dishwasher for a few minutes before being pulled away and thrown onto the floor.

"What the f-"

"You're going to answer me and you're going to answer me now," Oliver growls. "What the hell is Crisis?"

"It's just another-"

"Don't bullshit me!" Oliver shouts at Christian, twisting his arm and making him yell in pain.

"Oliver, what are you doing?" Barry yells, rushing to the kitchen with Kara and Sara in tow.

"I'm getting answers!" he yells back, gritting his teeth and twisting Christian's arm further, making him scream in pain. "What the hell is Crisis?" he shouts into Christian's ear, Christian in too much pain and shock to answer.

"Oliver, stop!" Sara yells, her and Barry trying to pull him off of Christian. He shoves them away with his free hand.

"Answer me!" he yells at Christian. Christian is hyperventilating on the floor in pain, tears streaming down his face as his arm is twisted dangerously close to its breaking point.

"Oliver, get off of him!" Kara yells, stepping in and throwing him off of Christian. Christian gasps and quickly caresses his hurt arm, curling up on the floor. Barry goes to check on him as the girls confront Oliver.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sara shouts at him.

"Getting answers," Oliver fires back.

"You were going to break his arm!" Kara yells.

"No, I was going to twist it until he told me what I wanted to know!"

"And if he didn't?" Sara asks.

"Then I would've broken his arm," Oliver shrugs.

"What the hell is so important that you wanna hospitalize the one person who's done nothing but help you this entire time?" Sara screams at him, furious.

"Crisis." Oliver states coldly.

Sara blinks.

"Exactly," he says. "You know about it too."

"Ollie-"

"No, don't 'Ollie' me," Oliver growls. "From the day we got here, Christian's been hiding things from us. Hiding our futures, hiding things we need to know to prevent the things that go wrong. And whenever I try to confront him, he always comes up with some excuse or defense to protect himself. And this whole Crisis thing, he's mentioned it at least five times, and every time he does, he's either talking to you or he redirects the conversation. _And_, you seem to know exactly what he's talking about. You apparently _lived_ it, too, because he specifically asked you if you were okay with 'reliving _whatever happens._' And, to top it all off, the moment you got here you stared at me as if you had seen me die. So excuse me for being a bit curious as to why something SO IMPORTANT is being hidden from the three of us with no explanation as to why!"

"It could mess up-"

"It could mess up the timeline, I know, I've heard it. Who cares?"

"I care," Sara says, stiffening. "I have to fix it!"

"Well, have fun with that," Oliver snarls. "But I am not stopping until I find out what is so important about this Crisis that you have to hide it from all of us."

Oliver and Sara stare at each other angrily. Kara stands off to the side, unsure of what to do, when a voice cuts through the tension.

"You die."

Oliver blinks.

"You die, Oliver." Christian is on his feet. The rest of the gang stares at him. Kara is wide-eyed with shock, Barry's face is frozen in shock and confusion, and Oliver is taken aback. Sara looks at him, confused and worried.

"You died, everyone died. The multiverse died. Every single person across the multiverse wiped out of existence in a matter of hours. Every single living creature wiped clean to make way for a new universe. A universe of antimatter. And of the old universe, only 8 beings survive."

The trio all stare at him, eyes wide and mouths open in shock.

"You lost the battle. You died a fruitless death as the antimatter descended over Earth-38," Christian says, stepping closer to him. Kara gasps in shock.

"Your soul was stuck in Purgatory. It required an exorcism to get out back, but you refused. You chose to become someone else. Some_thing_ else. And yet, as you became someone else, world after world perished. Universe after universe gone. Swept away. Until only 8 remain."

"Why would you tell us this now?" Barry whispers in shock.

"SO YOU KNOW WHY I KEPT IT FROM YOU," Christian screams. "Don't you realize what a burden it is to carry, knowing what future is coming your way without being able to prevent it? This future, this reality, this destruction is something you can't stop. None of you can stop it. It's literally inevitable. And try as you might, time, or destiny, or whatever the hell you believe in will find its way. I kept it from you all so that you didn't have to deal with it. I kept it from you all so that you could be okay, so that the timeline could be okay, so that you wouldn't have this burden. But, _no,_ Oliver has to go and nearly break my arm because I have information he wants? Fine. There's your information."

Oliver is silent. In fact, the whole trio is silent, their emotions and thoughts in turmoil.

Sara looks at Christian in confusion, but nods slowly in understanding as he makes a little flashing gesture with his hand.

"Let's start at the beginning, shall we?" Christian says, turning on the TV and going to the CW. "It's gonna be a long night."


	12. Episode 1

_**What's up everybody, I'm back (finally) with a new chapter! Sorry this one took so long, I've had a crap ton of projects to work thru. If y'all are interested let me know and I can put up a link to my youtube channel or somethin XD.**_

_**BUT. Here's the big chapter. The gang's all here and about to watch Crisis. Well, the first three episodes, anyway. I had to rewatch them as I wrote this, so that made the chapter take even longer XD. BUT. It's here, it's going. Y'all ready?**_

_**NOTE: As I'm writing this, I only now just realized how long these chapters are going to be. Switching between them watching and them commentating is filling up the chapter a lot quicker than I'd like, so I'm only going to focus on the dialogue bits more important to our characters. Also, this entire section could take 4 more chapters, although I hope to god it doesn't. It'll definitely take at least 3 if I keep going in this direction. IDK. Read the chapter and let me know if you want them to react like this to the rest of the episodes or for me to just sum up their reactions. Either one is good for me.**_

* * *

"_In the beginning there was only one. A single black infinitude. Then the infinitude found release, and finally the darkness broke, filling it with life, with the Multiverse._

_...because now the entire multiverse is about to come under attack."_

"Okay, pause it right there," Oliver interrupts. "What the hell was all that?"

"Well, like I said, on this earth your lives are documented in TV shows. What just played was a montage of your fights from previous years. I'm sure you recognize the Dominators," Christian replies, the four nodding. "Everything looks weird, I'm sure, but remember it's all third person perspective. And, this is all happening in your futures," he continues, gesturing to Kara, Barry and Oliver, "and your past," he finishes, looking at Sara.

"Wait, so who was I fighting?" Kara asks, confused.

"You'll see," Christian sighs, resuming the show.

* * *

"_Holy crimson skies of death!"_

_*Crisis on Infinite Earths*_

"Wow, very cinematic," Barry chuckles. Everyone shushes him.

_*Earth-38; National City*_

"_THE END OF THE WORLD IS LICKING AT OUR HEELS! SOON THERE SHALL BE NOT BUT DUST, TWISTING AND WRITHING IN THE DEAD OF SPACE! NOT EVEN SUPERGIRL WILL SAVE YOU FRom…"_

_In flies a giant, fire-breathing dragon, spitting fire (obviously) and causing people to run in fear. All of a sudden, Supergirl drops in and shields the shouting man with her cape._

"Oh my god is that me?" Kara asks, giddy. "With bangs? And PANTS?!"

"Yup, it is," Christian chuckles.

"Since when did you get pants?" Barry asks, smirking.

"I have no idea," she replies, still excited over seeing herself save the day.

"_Every pet in National City is having a nervous breakdown. This feels bigger than Leviathon," on-screen Kara says. _

"_Well, the U.S.G.S. didn't register an early warning so it took everyone completely by surprise," Alex, her sister, replies._

"_Yes, and she does mean everyone, because this earthquake is quite literally worldwide," Brainy adds, throwing his tablet screen up onto the main D.E.O. monitors._

"Hey, it's Alex!" Kara exclaims. "And who's that?"

"Wait, who's Alex?" Barry asks.

"She's my sister!"

"Wait, that's your sister?" Barry asks, pointing at the screen. Kara nods, smiling. "That's so cool," he chuckles.

"_...one thing is for certain, we have-"_

"_A major crisis on our hands," J'onn Jonnz, the Martian Manhunter, interrupts as the three turn to look at him._

* * *

"_If this wave isn't stopped by tomorrow night, there will be no more us. No future, no more anything," Brainy says, as they all look on solemnly._

"_Are there any inhabited planets in its trajectory?" Alex asks._

"_Just one," Brainy replies. The screen shows just one planet: Argo 139-65._

"_Argo City," Alex breathes shakily._

"_Oh my god, Superman's there with Lois," J'onn says in apprehension._

"_And my mom," Kara adds._

"Wait, wait, wait, pause it," Kara says quickly, covering her mouth with her hand. "My mom's alive?"

"Yes," Christian replies.

"And is Argo a part of Krypton?" she asks, starting to tear up.

"Yes," Christian replies, voice laced with sympathy.

"All this time…" she trails off.

"_We will never leave you, even in the face of our deaths," Lois smiles at her son as the pod is shot out of Argo City, the planet being swallowed by the wave of anti-matter seconds later. _

"_They're gone," Kara gasps, tears brimming in her eyes._

"_And we're next," Brainy says softly._

"They're...they're," Kara stammers in shock, tears now streaming down her face much like her on-screen counterpart. She breaks down in quiet sobs, mourning the death of the family she never got a chance to know. Barry leans over, putting a comforting arm around her as she leans into him, crying.

* * *

_*Earth-1; Lian Yu*_

"_For a very long time, I've hated this place," Oliver says. "Because I think about all of the people that it took from me, it just made me so angry."_

"_But you're not now?" Mia, his daughter, asks._

"_I'm still a little bit angry," he answers, a slight smile showing on his face. "This island taught me to survive. It turned me into someone else. Someone better than the person I was before."_

"Who the hell is that and why are we on Lian Yu?" Oliver asks in suspicion, turning to Christian.

"Your daughter," he replies bluntly, Oliver and Barry's jaws dropping in shock.

"My…"

"Yes."

"How?"

"It's a long story that we don't have time for," Christian says.

_*Earth-1; Central City*_

"_Cisco, what do you got, is it an isolated event? Is it everywhere? Cisco?" Barry asks, to no avail._

"Damn, would you look at that suit?" Barry exclaims. Kara slaps him on the arm, and he smirks but turns back towards the screen.

"Are we just glossing over the fact that Dig's wife suddenly has powers?" Oliver asks.

"Another long story, now hush. I'd like to actually get y'all through this first episode," Christian huffs.

_*Earth-1; Gotham City*_

"_Where's Alice?" Batwoman yells, attacking a bunch of robbers in rabbit masks._

"See, Batwoman," Sara nudges Oliver, who just scowls ahead.

"SHHHH," Christian shushes her.

"_There's a wave of antimatter sweeping across this universe," Lyla, or Harbinger, informs the newly-gathered team of heroes (and Lois), "destroying everything in it's path."_

"_I've seen the antimatter wave in action," Oliver says. "It wiped all of Earth 2 out of existence."_

"_I've brought you all to Earth 38 because this is where the Monitor wants you to make your stand," Lyla says. "This universe is a tipping point. If we don't stop the antimatter wave here, it will continue to the next universe, and the next, and the next, until it has obliterated not only every earth, but every thing, across all reality."_

"So the Dominators part 2, then," Barry jokes shakily. "I mean, from what you told us, we beat the Dominators. We'll beat this too, right?"

Christian and Sara share a look. "We'll see," Christian answers.

"_At the dawn of time, the Monitor placed quantum tower on key earths as a last line of defense. The red skies are dissipating, which means it's working," Lyla says._

"_So the tower can stop this earth from being destroyed?" Oliver asks._

"_If you can protect it," Lyla responds._

"_Protect it from what?" Kara asks._

"_The Anti-Monitor. He commands forces greater than any army. When the tower stops the wave, they will come to thwart any effort to save the planet and its people."_

"The Anti-Monitor? What kind of name is that?" Barry asks.

"Barry, it doesn't matter," Oliver says, trying to focus. Barry shrugs, but stops.

"_Transmatter portal?" John suggests._

"_Who could build one big enough?" Alex asks. "I mean, not even Brainy has."_

"_Lena," J'onn responds as Alex sighs. "She built an enormous one for the Daxamites, I'm sure she could build one twice as big."_

"_No, that's too big of a risk," Alex replies. "I mean, after Myriad, after everything. She can't be trusted!"_

"_What other choice do we have?"_

"Wait, pause it," Kara says, shooting up in her seat. She wipes her face before continuing. "Since when was Lena not to be trusted? She's my friend!"

"I know," Christian answers her. She turns to him, seeking answers. "You and her became good friends, best friends even. Heck, you two were the best of friends. But you never told her you were Supergirl. She had to find out from her deranged brother, the same one that almost killed your cousin, who you really were. And she was heartbroken. Her best friend kept her whole life from her. And so she turned to the only thing she had left: science." Kara stares at him in shock.

"Why would you tell me this?" she asks, voice breaking.

"For context," Christian shrugs. "No, but, seriously," he says, leaning towards her. "Lena deserves to know. She needs to know. Maybe not right now. But she already has issues trusting people. Don't make it worse on her."

"Wait, why are you giving her so much information?" Oliver asks. "What about me? What about Barry?"

"Partially for context," Christian answers. "But really, a lot of what's happening right now is, like, extremely important for her. We'll get to you two when we get to you two."

* * *

"_We are past the time for discussion, Oliver," the Monitor says._

"_You and I had an agreement. I died. Barry and Kara live," Oliver shouts._

"_Yes. To keep the cosmic balance," the Monitor replies._

"_So why are you telling Barry that he's gonna die?"_

"_I spared your friends' lives so they could save the world last year. This is a very different threat."_

"Wait, Oliver's going to die?" Barry asks. Sara looks away in pain.

"Yes," Christian responds.

"And I am too?" Barry asks, his brow furrowing.

"The Flash is going to die, yes," Christian responds. Sara looks at him in confusion.

"Wait-" she begins.

"It's the truth," Christian says simply. Sara narrows her eyes, but relents.

"How do we die?" Oliver asks.

"...just watch."

* * *

_The heroes fight with all their strength, fending the Anti-Monitor's army of shadow demons away from the quantum tower. All of a sudden, the Monitor appears._

"_The battle is lost," he shouts. "We must retreat and save our resources for battles yet to come." With that, he sends off each hero defending the quantum tower with a flick of his hand. First Kate, then Ray, then Kara, then Clark, then Mia, then Barry, who shouts Oliver's name before getting engulfed by the Monitor's portal._

"No, no, no, what are you doing?" Oliver whispers under his breath.

"_Oliver," the Monitor says. "It's time."_

"_Has the planet been evacuated yet?"_

"_Not entirely."_

"_Then it's not time." With that, Oliver sends an arrow into him, temporarily disabling him. With the Monitor disabled, Oliver turns to face the horde of shadow demons. He gets knocked down by one, but quickly gets back up, only to be thrown back again. He stands and reaches for arrows that are no longer there. As the shadows close in, he grits his teeth, stands his ground, drops his bow, and fights. And as the final ship flies through the portal to Earth 1, Earth 38 is engulfed in antimatter._

_*Earth-1; Star City*_

_The Monitor appears in the arrowcave, where the rest of the heroes were sent. With him, Oliver appears, coughing on a cot._

"_Oliver," Barry says in surprise, running over to him._

"_He fought to his last breath," the Monitor says, "knowing every moment was another life saved."_

"_Saved?" Kara asks._

"_Your universe is no more. Of 7.53 billion, 3 billion souls made it to Earth 1 on the armada of ships. I calculate 1 billion souls survived due to his noble sacrifice."_

_As the heroes look upon their fallen friend, Nash Wells, all dressed in supernatural green garb, appears in a flash of gold next to the Monitor. _

"_Nash?" Barry asks._

"_Once upon a time, not anymore," Nash replies. "Now, I am simply a man serving his penance."_

"_Penance for what?" Clark asks._

"_I freed the Anti-Monitor from his confinement only to become a pariah, sentenced to bear witness to his actions."_

_Another portal appears, Brainy, Sara, and Lois (holding Jonathan) step out. "Oliver," Sara gasps, rushing to his bedside._

"_It's okay, Sara," he groans. "This is my destiny."_

"_No, Oliver," Barry says desperately, leaning over him._

"_Barry," Oliver says, "you, my friend, are the very best of us. I gave it all up for you and Kara."_

"_What do- what do you mean?" Barry asks._

"_I need the two of you to be the ones to save us now," Oliver continues. _

"_Mia," he whispers._

"_Dad," Mia replies in a small voice. _

"_Don't forget to find your mother, find William, and tell them how much I love them." She nods vigorously, tears rolling down her face. "I love you, Mia," Oliver says, a small smile coming to his lips. "You keep me in your heart, okay?" _

"_Dad," she says again._

"_Okay," Oliver whispers. He closes his eyes and is gone. Mia and Barry freeze in shock, and Sara and Kara look away in grief._

"_It was not supposed to be like this," the Monitor says gravely. "This is not his ending I foresaw."_

"_Things are turning out differently than expected," Nash, or Pariah, says. "But one thing is certain. Everything we know, everything there is, and everything there ever was, is doomed."_

* * *

"Oliver," Barry whispers in shock, turning to his friend.

"What the hell was that?" Oliver demands. "Are you telling me this is the future?" he shouts at Christian.

"Yes," Sara answers, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Yes. This is your future. This happens. I know, I lived it. It's all real." She looks down, trying to control her sobs. "It's all real," she whispers.

Oliver stares at her in shock. His gaze falls upon Christian, whose face displays a quiet sympathy. He stares straight ahead, where his dead body lay on the screen. Kara breaks down in sobs over the loss of her world, leaning into Barry for comfort. Barry puts his arm around her, speechlessly staring off into nothing. Christian sat quietly, his heart going out to the broken people around him. He sighs quietly and stands.

"I know that was heavy," he says. "I know I really don't have a place to say anything right now. If you guys need a break before the next one, I get it."

"There's a next one?" Barry asks incredulously.

"There's four more."

"Oh."

"I don't need to put it on right now, y'all can-"

"No," Kara says, shakily. "I need to see what happens."

"We all do," Oliver says softly.

Christian nods and begins the next episode.


	13. Episode 2

_**HI GUYS IM BACK FINALLY**_

_**These past few weeks have been rough, so the update schedule got thrown way out of whack. BUT. I'm here now. Finals/youtube videos have been rough, so sorry about that! Maybe I'll be able to upload more constantly over the summer.**_

_**BUT TODAY we're returning to our favorite quintet, reacting to episode 2 of Crisis. Should be fun!**_

* * *

"_Never thought I'd be pouring one out for Oliver," Sara says, pouring shots for herself, Kara, and Kate._

Sara, still shaken up from the last episode, sniffles a bit at this memory. Christian sympathetically put a hand on her shoulder. Although strangers, the two have managed to bond over the knowledge of Crisis. Something that doesn't go unnoticed by some.

"_You have suffered a horrible loss," the Monitor states. "But you have every reason not to lose hope. Seven, in fact. Across space and time-"_

_He is suddenly interrupted by a crying baby Jonathan. The Monitor turns to stare at Lois, who is holding him. She awkwardly hands him to Clark as the Monitor starts trying to speak again, but Jonathan keeps crying. Eventually, he ends up in Mick's hands, and he's the only one able to calm him down. _

"Mick?" Sara, Barry, and Kara exclaim. Christian chuckles. "I thought for sure Kara would've been the one," Sara smirks.

"_...being of the purest will who can ultimately defeat the Anti-Monitor and help save the multiverse. They are known as Paragons."_

"_Paragons," Barry scoffs. "And you're just dropping this on us now?"_

"Wait, you're telling me that this cosmic being who supposedly knows the future knew of seven heroes who could save the universe by themselves and yet he let Kara's earth die and he let me die?" Oliver questions, nearly shouting. "What kind of logic is that?"

"Honestly, who knows," Christian shrugs.

"No, if these Paragons were mentioned earlier maybe things would have worked out better! Maybe I would be able to make it home!"

"Ollie, don't," Sara says suddenly, her voice breaking. "I get how stupid that may seem. But don't tell me how things could have been better. It's already happened."

Oliver frowns, but nods in understanding.

"_Kara Zor-El. Despite all you have endured, you are the Paragon of Hope."_

"_Well, um, you might wanna double-check your omnipotence, 'cause I'm not feeling that hopeful right now," Kara grimaces._

"_Sara Lance is the Paragon of Destiny."_

"_Oh, well, that makes sense," Ray grins. "Captain of time travel and all that."_

Oliver turns to look at the two girls. "So, Paragons, eh?"

"Hey, don't pin this on me, I'm as clueless as you," Kara says, holding her hands up defensively. Oliver turns to Sara. She sighs deeply.

"Ollie, don't you think I would've fixed this if I could?" she says.

"This Ray is right, you have a timeship," Oliver says. "Couldn't you just-"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Even if I wanted to there's no version of this past for me to time travel to," Sara says loudly. Christian snaps up to look at her. "What, it'll be spoiled eventually," she shrugs. He also shrugs and returns his attention to the show.

"_Earth 99 exists in a future time, where Bruce Wayne has dedicated himself, body and soul, to fighting crime."_

"_I'm sorry, go back," Ray interrupts. "Bruce Wayne is the Dark Knight?"_

"_If we could all keep that to ourselves, that'd be great," Kate says._

"Wait," Oliver says, shocked. "Wayne?"

"Yeah," Christian responds.

"How is he this Batman?"

"Oh, so now you believe it?" Barry smirks.

Oliver huffs in annoyance. "They said he's from a different earth. I'm willing to believe that."

"Oh my god, Ollie," Sara sighs. "Do I need to pick up Kate from Gotham to prove it to you or something?"

"No, I see your 'Batwoman' right here," he says, gesturing to the TV. "But she doesn't prove the existence of a Batman."

"She knew Bruce was Batman," Christian says matter-of-factly. "How could she have known that if Bruce didn't exist? If Batman didn't exist?"

Oliver opens his mouth to retort, but stops, unable to respond. He frowns and turns back to the screen. Kara and Barry chuckle at him, but stop as he glares at them.

* * *

"_An entire universe wiped from existence distilled down to a computer graphic."_

_Kara looks up in shock and turns around, seeing Lex Luthor, alive and well. "Gotta say, missing that 'wow' factor," he adds._

"_Lena killed you," Kara says angrily._

"_Yeah, only for a little while," Lex winks._

"LEX LUTHOR?!" Kara shouts, shooting to her feet and making Barry fall backwards. "The same one that-"

"Yeah, the same one that almost killed your cousin and got locked up indefinitely," Christian answers.

"Then how did-"

"Oh, it's nothing really," Christian says nonchalantly. "He came back, giving a terminal illness to get Lena to help him 'recover,' but instead used her and a few other people to take over your city...no wait, to take over the whole country amidst a huge alien panic. He did a few bad things, you defeated him, he ended up at Lena's office and tried to get her to help him but she shot him to death, but not before he showed her that you were Supergirl, which is why she's so mad at you, because she had to hear from her psychopath of a brother and not from you."

Kara stands stock-still in surprise, mouth moving to form words that couldn't come out. Speechless, she sits back down.

"_You sure you wanna do this?" John Constantine asks, looking up at the crew in front of him. "Lazarus pits are nasty business."_

"_We're sure," Mia answers firmly. _

"_Yeah, and we don't have a lot of time, so could you please just take your smoke break later, maybe just do the spell," Barry complains._

"_Simmer down, speedy, this is the spell," Constantine smirks. _

"So you're telling me that I died," Oliver speaks up, "and you - " he points to Barry " - and my daughter and John Constantine are totally okay with using a Lazarus Pit to try and bring me back, knowing full well the effects it can bring?"

"Hey, stop blaming me, I didn't do any of this," Barry says defensively.

"Well, if future you did it, then that means 'you' you would be willing to," Oliver argues.

"Well…"

"See?" Oliver says, his point validated. "And why didn't you stop them?" he asks Sara. She looks at him in surprise. "You know better than anyone what that pit can do."

"You didn't see me trying?" Sara yells.

"They still went," Oliver fires back.

"It's not like I'm all-powerful or anything!" Sara exclaims. "I tried, dammit! God, I forgot how much of an asshole you were in 2016."

"Hey-"

"Okay, calm down, you two," Christian says, standing up and blocking their lines of sight. "I get you're both a bit on edge. Oliver, this is uncharted territory for you, and you just saw yourself die. It's unnerving, I get it."

"I don't get-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we all know, you've said it like 50 thousand times, 'you don't get unnerved'," Christian waves him off, growling the last line in a bad impression of Oliver. Despite the situation, Barry and Kara giggle at his impression. Christian smirks, but continues. "Sara, I know this whole situation is painful for you. One of, if not these most painful event in your life and you're reliving the whole thing. I get it. But don't take it out on each other, alright? You're only gonna make things worse."

Oliver nods in acknowledgement and Sara frowns apologetically. "If you wanna be frustrated at someone, be frustrated at me," Christian finishes. "I'm used to being the disappointment," he jokes.

* * *

"_Enjoy your little slice of mediocrity while you can, Clark," Lex smirks. "You're all doomed anyway," he says, breaching away to a different Earth leaving Smallville Superman alone on his farm. Well, not alone, I guess._

"_Hey," Lois says, walking up behind him._

"WAIT WAIT WAIT," Kara exclaims, shooting up to her feet again and pointing frantically at the screen. "That's my mom! Why is my mom Lois Lane? HOW?!"

Christian chuckles and stands, putting a hand on her shoulder and gently pushing her back down to her seat. "Doppelgangers," he says.

"But how?" Kara asks. "Wouldn't Lois' doppelganger look like, well, Lois?"

"No, not exactly," Barry answers. "There's a flash from another Earth, Jay Garrick, that looks exactly like my dad."

"Huh."

_*Earth-96: Metropolis*_

_An elevator opens, Clark, Iris, and Lois stepping out and looking around. "Now this is a newspaper," Lois says excitedly. _

"_Ray tracked Lex's last breach to this earth, so he can't be far," Iris says. _

"_Well, let's find him...me...Clark," Clark says, stumbling over his words, "before Lex does." All of a sudden, Lois bumps right into Earth-96 Clark._

"_Oh, excuse me, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," he says smiling, fixing his glasses._

"HOLD ON," Kara yells again, shooting up to her feet. "RAY?!"

"Doppelganger," Sara, Christian, and Barry all say in unison, the latter two chuckling. Kara pouts at them but sits back down.

"I still don't get how a doppelganger of someone can look so different," Kara says.

"The multiverse has its ways," Christian shrugs.

"Huh," Kara frowns, before looking back at the TV. "He is looking pretty jacked, though."

Christian laughs and punches her arm lightly. "He's your cousin!"

"I mean, it's Ray!" she says, defensively.

"No, that's Clark," Christian smirks.

"Oh my god, were you just checking him out?" Sara asks, smirking.

"She totally was," Barry laughs.

"Guys, come on," Kara pouts. She turns to Oliver, who is quietly trying to hold back a smirk of his own. "Oliver, help me out here," she pleads.

"I mean, I can't disagree with them," he says, breaking into a small smile. Christian, Barry, and Sara burst out laughing at this, Oliver chuckling with them and Kara trying to frown at all of them. She isn't able to and starts trying unsuccessfully to hold back a smile of her own.

"Damn, if I'd known you thought Ray was cute, I'd have pushed you two to 'hang out' more," Sara chuckles.

"Oh stop it," Kara says with faux anger. "Let's just get back to the thing."

* * *

"_Are you sure that you wanna do this?" Sara asks, crouched over the Lazarus Pit._

"_More than anything," Mia replies firmly._

"_Yeah," Sara chuckles, "your father wouldn't take no for an answer either. When I think of all the stupid stuff we got into when we were your age, it's amazing we didn't get arrested more."_

"_Arrested more?" Mia asks._

"_But you're way smarter than him," Sara smirks._

"Hey," Oliver complains, turning to Sara.

"What, she is," Sara smirks.

"I-"

"Bro, she's as much Felicity's daughter as she is your daughter," Christian says. "It kinda follows."

Oliver frowns. "Still," he says resignedly.

"_Woah, Ray, you are looking jacked," Kara says, looking Earth 96 Clark up and down as he looks at her in confusion._

"_No, no, no, no, this is your cousin, sort of," Clark cuts in._

"_Huh."_

"Oh. My. God." Sara giggles. "Even future you thinks Ray is cute."

"That is so cute," Barry smirks.

"Y'all, I think I have a new ship," Christian jokes, as everyone except Kara chuckles.

"Oh, come on," Kara frowns.

* * *

"_That light is the Paragon of Courage," the Monitor says. _

"_Yeah, well, Bruce's body isn't on the ship, so," Kate says._

"_No, but you are."_

_Kate looks at him in surprise as everyone else looks at her. "I said the path to Earth 99 would lead you to the Paragon," the Monitor continues. "That has come to pass. You are the bat of the future, Kate Kane. You are the Paragon of Courage."_

"Wait, so they went on that whole fetch quest for nothing?" Sara asks incredulously.

"Yeah, pretty much," Christian answers.

"So they were just wasting time while everyone else was doing something important?" Sara asks.

"I mean, from a certain point of view, so were you," Christian points out. Sara opens her mouth to retort, but closes it in thought.

"_But Earth 38 is gone," Kate says._

"_I know," Kara answers. "But maybe I can use the Book of Destiny to bring it back."_

"_The Monitor said it'd be really dangerous, Kara."_

"_I know what he said," Kaara responds. "What good is being the Paragon of Hope if I don't have any?" She walks away as Kate reaches into her jacket pocket, pulling out a small disk containing Kryptonite and looks up to watch Kara walk off._

"Kryptonite?" Kara says, shocked. "How does she have kryptonite? Isn't she a good guy?"

"Yeah, well, good guys can have kryptonite," Christian says.

"Yeah, but, all it does it hurt me and Clark," Kara argues.

"Ok, we can get into this later, because I know it's a big deal to you, but this next part is kind of important, so…"

"_Who am I?"_

"_I am the Anti-Monitor."_

_Lyla stares at him, her face displaying a mix of horror and intrigue._

"_Come, Harbinger," he says. "There is work to be done."_

"You're telling me _that's_ the bad guy behind all this?" Barry scoffs. Sara and Christian nod. "He doesn't even _look_ intimidating. And don't get me started on the name."

"So Lyla's a turncoat?" Oliver says, slightly angrily.

"No, not exactly, the Anti-Monitor's in her head. Like, literally."

"Oh," Oliver relaxes.

"So wait, why are you okay with Kryptonite?" Kara asks. "There's no-"

"OKAY, how about we move on to the next one?" Christian says loudly. "That episode was largely okay, no need to worry, no need to be sad, how 'bout we keep the ball rolling, eh?" Sara and Oliver shrug in response as Kara narrows her eyes at Christian.

"Why not?" Barry says. "What's the worst that could happen?"


	14. Episode 3

_**OKAY OKAY OKAY**_

_**SEASON 7 OF CLONE WARS**_

_**WTF**_

_**WHY WAS THIS NOT DONE EARLIER IT WAS SO GOOD OMGGG ITS SO SAD AND I WISH IT COULDVE ENDED ON A HAPPY NOTE BUT WTF ITS SO GOOOOOOOD**_

_**Okay rant time over. We're back with another chapter, y'all, and another episode of the team reacting to COIF. I guess. Honestly I don't have a direction after this, so help me out with some plot points, y'all. I mean, they'll get back eventually. They kinda have to.**_

_**On the other hand, I want y'all's honest feedback: how's the story so far? To be honest I don't think very highly of the chapters I write, so I rely almost entirely on y'all for the feedback. And since the story has nearly 5000 views (THAT'S FREAKING INSANE OMG) I'd really, really appreciate if y'all could give me some feedback. Thanks :)**_

_**On the third hand that I magically somehow have, do y'all want me to start working on a new story to throw on top of the two that I have now? It's possible, but the update frequency would most likely slow a lot. I foresee this one going for about 30 chapters, probably the same for GIAF. Lemme know what you think. Now without further ado (before I have to turn this author's note into another update chapter), on with the story!**_

* * *

"_We've only located four of the seven paragons needed to save the multiverse," the Monitor declares._

"_Well, we could find the last three, if…" Kate trails off, clearing her throat._

"_Hey, it's, uh," Ray chuckles, "It's repairing a paragon detector, it's complex stuff." As he speaks, a breach opens and out jumps Cisco, Ralph Dibny, Caitlin Snow (as Killer Frost), and Barry Allen._

"_Someone call for backup?" Barry asks._

"Wait, hold on," Barry interrupts. "Since when did Caitlin look like that?"

"Technically, only for a few months." Christian answers.

"And is that Ralph Dibny?" Barry asks in disbelief. Christian merely nods. "He's a crooked cop! I mean, he planted evidence to frame a murder suspect." Barry stands up and begins pacing rather frantically. "How could he be there? He tampered with case evidence for his own profit. I mean, I saw to it that he got exposed for what he did. He- he was dishonorably discharged! How is he there? With me? And Cisco, and Cait?"

"Are you sure he only did it for his own profit?" Christian asks softly. Barry turns to him in confusion.

"I don't-"

"Are you sure that he did it for his own glory, for the glory of the case?" Christian asks. "Or are you letting your past experiences with murder suspects cloud your judgement?" Barry sits, slightly dazed.

"Why are you defending him? I mean-"

"I know what he did, and I know it's against the law," Christian interrupts. "But did you ever for a second consider that maybe he was right? That maybe the person he framed was the actual murderer, that they deserved to be imprisoned even though there wasn't enough evidence?"

"But what if he wasn't?" Barry cuts in. "My dad was convicted of murder and thrown in jail. I can't let that happen to another innocent person."

"So you _are_ letting your past cloud your judgement," Christian smirks. Barry opens his mouth to argue, but stops as Christian holds his hand up. "I'm not finished. You're a CSI. You're paid to look from a professional viewpoint. And I get that Ralph did something illegal and probably immoral, but as a CSI, you shouldn't have completely shut him down. What if there was some truth to his deceit? What if you just didn't want to see it?"

Barry turns back to the screen, quiet in thought. "That still doesn't explain why he's there. Then."

"That's a rather long story."

* * *

"_How could you let this happen, Sara?!" Diggle yells, standing over Oliver's body in the medbay. "You of all people!"_

"_It's complicated," she says quietly._

"_It's not complicated," Dig shouts before lowering his voice. "I wasn't there when he needed me."_

"_Dig, we are working on bringing him back the same way that he brought me back, remember?"_

"_You talking bout a trip to Purgatory?" Dig asks._

"_Yes."_

"Why do all of you have the worst ideas when I'm gone?" Oliver groans.

"Hey, I was trying to save you," Sara says, glaring at him slightly.

"Oh, I'm not mad," Oliver says, smirking. "It's kinda funny, actually. I wonder what the new kids thought of this."

Sara and Christian glance at each other, the latter sucking in air between his teeth in realization. "They, um," Christian stutters, "they, kind of, aren't...really...there. For the crisis."

"Why not?" Oliver asks, sitting up straighter in his seat. "I mean, what, did they betray me?"

"No," Christian says quickly. "They...some of them went their separate ways."

Oliver narrows his eyes. "You're hiding something."

"Aren't I always?"

* * *

"_I cannot rewrite what has already been written. I can only attempt to save what remains."_

_In frustration and contempt for the Monitor, Kara sighs and walks away from the bridge. Kate follows her, stopping in the doorway to reveal the shard of Kryptonite hidden in her hand._

"What is she doing?!" Kara shoots up.

"Calm down, she's not going to kill you or anything," Christian reassures her.

"But she has Kryptonite! The only thing that can kill me!"

"Ok, first of all, that's not true," Christian deadpans. "Second, it's in lead, which, wouldn't you know, is one of the only substances capable of containing Kryptonite's radiation. So give her the benefit of the doubt.

Kara huffs in annoyance but returns to her seat.

"_Cisco Ramon."_

"_GAAHD!" Cisco yells in surprise as the Monitor, just on the bridge with the rest of the heroes, suddenly appears in front of him. He sighs, opening and closing his fists in frustration. "Didn't I just leave you?" he asks._

"_You are not a Paragon but you do have a purpose," the Monitor says. "Vibe must live again."_

"_No," Cisco says. The Monitor merely smirks. "No, my powers are gone," Cisco says, slightly angrily. "And there's a reason for that."_

"_You must answer the call whether you wish to or not."_

"_Okay, maybe you didn't hear me under those voluminous mutton chops of yours-"_

_Before he can finish, the Monitor restores his power with a simple wave of his hand._

"Wait, Cisco lost his powers?" Barry asks, confused.

"No, well yes, well…" Christian stutters. "It's complicated."

"How is it complicated? Did he lose them or not?"

"He gave it up."

Barry looks at Christian, wide-eyed in shock.

* * *

"_I know a guy." Constantine, with Dig and Mia in tow, knocks on a random door. It opens._

"_Oh, you're gonna love her, she's pretty much up for everything-" a man says to the two girls leaning on him before looking up and seeing Constantine in his doorway._

"_Always a pleasure to see ya, Lucey," Constantine smirks. The man stares at him with a mixture of anger, shock, and mirth. "It's time," he continues._

"_Excuse me, ladies, it seems like you're not the only ones who want a piece of me," the man says as the girls retreat into the club behind them. "I'll see you later." The man turns his attention to the three in front of him. "Johnny!" he exclaims. "Heh. Well, I'd like to say it's a pleasure to see you on my earth, outside my club, but it's not." He smiles at Dig then turns to Mia, smiling at her in a rather unsettling manner. "Hello," he says to Mia, who glares at him. "I don't believe we've met. Lucifer. Morningstar."_

"_Lucifer Morningstar," Mia says in disbelief. "As in-"_

"_The devil, yes, exactly," Lucifer grins. "So tell me, what is it you desire?"_

"Okay, wait." Oliver interrupts. Barry rolls his eyes and Christian sighs. "Who the hell is that and why is he hitting on my future daughter?"

"He's a ladies' man, Oliver," Christian smirks in reply, doing a poor imitation of Lucifer's accent. Barry and Kara stifle chuckles as Oliver scowls at him. "No, but like he said, that's the devil himself."

"So Dig's trying to make a deal with the devil, literally, to save me?" Oliver asks incredulously. "And the devil's trying to hit on my kid?"

"Yes and yes. You done?"

Oliver grimaces, wanting to argue but letting the subject drop. For now.

Barry shakes his head in amusement and looks back at the screen just as Earth-90 Flash is revealed on the anti-matter treadmill. He gasps. "Is that Jay?"

"No, that's Barry Allen." Christian replies.

"But, I'm-"

"From a different earth."

"Oh."

"_Put me back on that treadmill," Earth-90 Flash says._

"_No," Barry protests, "okay, we'll find another way." As he says this, they hear a sound from behind the anti-matter cannon. Following a flash of light, a disgruntled man in black, with lighting pulsing off of him, stumbles into the room. (gee i wonder who this is) _

"_Where am I?" he asks._

"_Who are you?" Caitlin asks._

"Who is that?" Kara and Barry ask, almost at the same time.

"Black Lightning," Christian and Sara reply.

"Who?" Kara asks.

"That," Christian smirks. Kara rolls her eyes.

_Kara sighs, her hand on the Book of Destiny. She begins to open it when Kate, suddenly behind her, stops her. "Don't," Kate says. "You open that book and you do not know what will happen. To you. To all of the earths you're trying to save."_

"_I have to, Kate," Kara argues. "Those people, they need help."_

"_And we are doing our best to help who we can," Kate cuts in. "That is not the answer."_

"_Then what am I supposed to do?" Kara asks accusingly. "Be okay with all those people dying? Like Bruce? Believe that if life's supposed to end, just let it?"_

"_No, of course not. But if you open that book it will destroy you."_

"_I have to do this."_

"_Then I have to stop you," Kate says, stepping closer to Kara. Kara, in turn, takes a step closer to her._

"_You won't be able to."_

"_You'd be surprised."_

"SHE'S GOING TO USE THE KRYPTONITE!" Kara shouts angrily.

"Shh. Watch." Christian chides her. Kara glares at him before turning back to the screen to see future Kara relent and walk away as Kate breathes a sigh of relief. Present-day Kara deflates slightly.

"She still has Kryptonite," she argues.

"Did she use it to hurt you?" Christian asks.

"No," Kara frowns.

"Then chill."

* * *

"_I know how to stop the cannon," Barry says. The team turns to look at him. "This is what the Monitor meant that day in the time vault. This is what I've been running towards all these years. It's time for Flash to vanish in Crisis," Barry finishes with a whisper._

"Wait, now?" Barry asks, his voice breaking. "I mean, then? I thought I had till 2024?"

"The heading changed. Flash vanishes in Crisis in 2019," Christian says bluntly. "In fact, in a few minutes, Barry Allen is going to vanish in an attempt to save the multiverse." Barry grits his teeth and clenches his fists. Kara puts her arm around him comfortingly, and Barry relaxes slightly.

"I'm not ready to go," he says, sniffling quietly.

"I know," Kara says softly, trying to comfort him. Sara moves closer to Christian and punches him in the shoulder.

"Aren't you being a bit harsh?" Sara whisper-yells at him.

"What," Christian smirks. "I'm not lying."

"Aren't you?"

"Barry Allen will die."

"But-"

"Look," Christian interrupts. "Sometimes people need a brush with death to remind them of what they have." Sara is taken aback by the sudden maturity of Christian and sits back, deep in thought. Oliver observes the situation keenly.

"_Tell Joe and Iris I love 'em," Barry says. _

"_We will," Caitlin nods, tears springing to her eyes. All of a sudden, Earth-90 Flash slaps his hand onto Barry's shoulder. _

"_Sorry kid, but this has to happen," he says before placing his hand on Barry's chest and absorbing his Speed Force._

"Wait, what?" Barry asks, sitting up straighter. "I thought you said I died, Christian."

"I said the Flash died," Christian clarifies. "I never said which one," he says in unison with the screen.

"You jerk!" Kara gasps. Barry relaxes and chuckles.

"You had me there, man," he smiles. Kara starts laughing, too, as Sara and Oliver break into slight smiles of their own.

"Had to relieve some tension," Christian jokes. "Only goes downhill from here."

"Wait, what?"

* * *

_The team, having found all the Paragons and reconvened on the bridge, are about to start a search for Lyla when she appears in a flash of light. "Lyla." Dig runs over to her, quickly engulfing her in a hug._

"_Johnny," she smiles. _

"_You okay?" Dig asks._

"_I'm sorry, I tried to get word to you that I was doing recon on Earth 1, but the deaths of the other earths is affecting my abilities."_

"_Where were you on Earth 1?" Barry asks._

"_I-" Lyla begins, but stops. "I can't remember."_

"Something's wrong," Oliver says.

"Something is definitely wrong," Christian agrees. "But just remember that Lyla isn't really Lyla here," he adds.

"What?" Oliver asks just as Lyla's eyes turn white, signifying her loss of control to the Anti-Monitor.

_The wave engulfs the ship. Everyone is gone. _

_Except for the Paragons, who were whisked to the Vanishing Point at the last second. As the Seven regroup and voice their disbeliefs at the fact that they're the only people alive, a red light appears through Superman's stomach. He quickly places his hand on it, feeling for injury. "Something's wrong," he groans._

"_Kal-"_

"_Something's wrong," he repeats, collapsing to the floor in pain. Kara rushes to him, holding him as the red lights start to appear throughout his body._

"_Hey, hey, hey," Kara says, trying to reassure both him and herself. "Come on."_

"_Please," Superman whispers. "Fix it."_

"_What do we do?" Kara cries, looking up at the others who merely look on in hopeless cluelessness. Superman groans loudly as the lights appear in fury, engulfing his body. "No, no!" Kara cries out. Superman lays on the floor, dead as the light shines around his body. It quickly dies away, revealing neither a blank space nor a dead corpse, but everyone's _favorite _Lex Luthor._

_Lex blinks and sits up. "Oh, I am so happy that worked," he sighs. _

"_Lex," Kara glares. "What did you do?"_

"_Well, I held the Book of Destiny and I saw you seven Paragons to be stranded at the Vanishing Point, and I thought Destiny could use a little rewrite," he says, pulling out a page he tore from the Book where he crossed off Superman's paragon symbol and wrote his name over it. The heroes glare at him as he tucks the page back into the book he brought. "So, what now?"_

"LEX?"

"Yep."

"How did he….what did he…"

"Look, I have about as good of an idea as you do at this point so let's keep watching. You can rant later," Christian sighs, annoyed by the constant interruptions.

"But-"

"SHSVSSHSHSH" Christian shushes her loudly. "Let's get a move on."


	15. Epi-no wait

_**Hey y'all I'm back with a new one!**_

_**Kinda been losing motivation for this recently, not gonna lie. Might have to take a break later but hopefully not. If I decide to, I'll let y'all know. I'm not going to be stupid and start on a new story tho, lol. I'm more looking forward to writing my own story, and with the back and forth watching of the Crisis ep and writing the chapter, it's getting a bit boring. It's almost done, though, so we can get to the plot points I have planned soon :)**_

_**BUT back to the topic at hand, the group's reaction to episode 4 of Crisis. Should be fun. Also, thanks for over 5000 views! That's so amazing. Big shoutout to my readers in the UK, I just checked the traffic stats and there's a bunch of you there, hi from over here in the middle of the Pacific Ocean :)**_

_**OK enough rambling on with teh story.**_

* * *

"_The portal is engaging. Next stop, the dawn of time." _

_Mar Novu stands before the portal in front of him, relishing his moment of glory. All his dreams and ambitions were moments away from fruition, and he was about to travel to the dawn of time. His life's work was about to be completed. With bated breath, he walks through._

_The portal transports him to the Temporal Zone. He looks around in wonder. "I am in the Temporal Zone," he says, bewildered. He smiles in wonder. "Oh, I wish you could see this, Xneen," he says through his com. Back on his home planet of Maltus, his wife Xneen smiles, hearing her husband's joy. "The birthplace of all creation," Novu continues, "and it's beautiful!"_

_Xneen is distracted from her husband's joy as a red light starts flashing on the screens in front of her and an alarm begins to sound. She walks over to them. "Mar, I'm getting readings here I don't understand," she says worriedly. "Your presence has corrupted the Zone somehow, it's releasing radiation I've never seen before. This might be antimatter, you have to get out of there."_

_The Temporal Zone begins to turn red and crumble around Novu. He looks around in panic. "Get out of there right now!" his wife shouts in his ear before a flash of light transports him to a new universe, one of antimatter. "Xneen? Xneen, can you hear me?" he yells. "Something went wrong. I do not think this is the dawn of time."_

"_No, it is," his wife replies. "It just isn't the dawn of time of our universe."_

"_What?"_

"_You breached the wall between our universe and it's opposite."_

"_An anti-universe."_

"Wait, you're telling me that this Monitor _caused_ all of this?" Oliver says incredulously.

"Don't look at me, man, I'm clueless from here on out," Christian replies. Sara merely nods her response to Oliver, who sits back in his seat in contemplation.

"So if he caused it, why can't he un-cause it?" Barry asks, turning to Sara.

"Beats me," Sara answers, shrugging. "Maybe he can't."

"I mean, if he could, this wouldn't have happened," Christian deadpans.

"That is true," Sara nods. "But what else wouldn't have happened?" This thought silences the room.

* * *

"_As for Barry Allen, a.k.a. The Flash, a.k.a. The Paragon of Love, he's just gone. Missing," Ryan Choi says, writing his final thought on the team's status in the Vanishing Point._

"I'm missing?" Barry asks, shooting up. "How?"

"You're fine," Sara says loosely, waving her hand dismissively at him. "Nothing major."

"You sure?"

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here," Sara says bluntly, causing Barry to open his mouth to reply, but close it and sit down, unable to.

* * *

_Barry shoots out of nowhere and slams into a wall, the other Paragons running to him. He starts getting up, panicked. "Where am I?"_

"_The Vanishing Point," Kara replies._

"_You've been gone for months," Kate says._

"_What are you talking about? I just left, two seconds ago," Barry says, sitting up in confusion._

"_To go where?" Sara asks._

"_The Speed Force, th-...I couldn't… it was like...it was like running into a mountain in Montana, I couldn't…" Barry trails off, shaking his head and staring up at the others. "There's no way out of here."_

"Wait, the Speed Force!" Barry yells, shooting up to his feet. "Why haven't I tried that?"

"Barry, what are you talking about?" Kara asks.

"The Speed Force!" Barry says excitedly. "M-maybe it doesn't work in the Vanishing Point, but maybe I can use it here to get us back home!" Quietly, Christian pauses the TV as Barry rambles on excitedly. "I mean, if I can get us all into the Speed Force, theoretically, I could use it to run us back home, I mean the Speed Force isn't bound by time or space, I mean-"

"Barry," Oliver says strongly. "What are you saying?"

Barry takes a breath and looks at Oliver. "Maybe I can get us home. Using the Speed Force."

"How?" Sara asks. "None of us are speedsters."

"But if I can hold on to all of you, maybe I can take you into the Speed Force with me."

"You're going to need a big boost for that, aren't you?" Christian asks.

"Yeah, well Kara's fast," Barry answers, turning to her. "Aren't you?"

"I mean, yeah, but-"

"So this could work!" Barry says excitedly, looking to everyone else for affirmation.

"Are you sure?" Sara asks, standing.

"Pretty sure, I mean I ended up on Kara's earth accidentally because of the Speed Force," Barry answers.

"Huh," Oliver grunts, looking up at the ceiling in thought.

"But if Charlie's right, then this earth is another dimension, not another earth," Christian says.

"Maybe it works the same way," Barry says, not giving it much thought. "Come on, guys, this could work! We could all get back, save our friends, save Iris-"

"Barry, I don't think this is a good idea," Oliver says.

"Why not?"

"You don't know what you're running into," Oliver answers, standing and walking over to Barry.

"I know the Speed Force," Barry counters. "And I know my speed."

"But you don't know how this world works," Oliver argues as Barry steps closer to him. "You'd be running in blind."

"It's better than doing nothing," Barry says. The two are standing nearly nose-to-nose at this point, the other three silent in anticipation.

"It's too dangerous," Oliver says.

"I have to try," Barry whispers, balling up his fists.

"And what if you get hurt? Huh? What then?" Oliver yells.

"I don't know!" Barry shouts back, looking down and running his hands through his hair. "But what else can we do?"

"Not this. Not now," Oliver says bluntly.

"Yes, this," Barry says, meeting Oliver's eyes.

"I can't let you," Oliver says, balling up his fists.

"Try me," Barry scoffs. The two stare angrily at each other, inches apart.

"Now kiss," Christian calls from across the room. The tension in the room is momentarily lifted as everyone turns to look at him incredulously. "What?" he asks sarcastically. "They're basically asking for it. Kiss and make up, you two."

Sara walks over to him and slaps him on the head. "Shut up," she says, trying to be intimidating but failing to hold back a smirk of her own. Kara looks down at the floor, chuckling quietly. Within seconds, the tension returns as Oliver and Barry turn back to each other. And not _that_ kind of tension.

"If you do this and you get hurt, then what?" Oliver asks. "And what if you get stuck in there for months or even years? What then?"

"I don't know," Barry shouts. "But I have to try," he says quietly.

"No you don't," Oliver replies.

Barry glares at him with determination. "Yes, I do."

With that, Barry shoves Oliver out of the way with his speed and runs out of the room through the window and onto the grass outside. He starts running in circles to generate speed to get into the Speed Force, but Kara runs into him and holds him down. "Barry, stop!" she yells at him.

Barry refuses to listen, phasing through her and continuing to build up momentum, evading attacks from Sara, Oliver, Kara, and even Christian, who throws himself at the blur of light that Flash had become. It's a wonder that none of Christian's neighbors were woken up, as the heroes try to stop Barry from entering the Speed Force. Their efforts turn out to be fruitless, however, as Barry opens a portal and jumps in, too quick to be followed. Oliver, Kara, Sara, and Christian stand stock still in a mixture of anxiety, shock, and disbelief.

* * *

"Barry."

Barry turns around to see the Speed Force's doppelganger of his mom. "We need to get back home," Barry says, walking towards her.

"We can take you home, but you only," she replies.

Barry stops. "Why?" he asks incredulously. "Isn't the Speed Force supposed to protect the timeline?"

"We cannot allow non-speedsters to enter the Speed Force," she replies stoically. "Can you imagine the chaos that would bring?"

"Couldn't you make an exception?" Barry pleads. "There must be something."

"There is always a way, you are correct, Barry Allen," the Speed Force replies. "But that way is not here."

"Why not?"

"We have already explained it to you."

"But why?" Barry presses. "Why can't you make an exception? The timeline is at- the whole world is at stake! My earth is at stake, can't you see that?"

"Of course we see it, Barry," she replies. "And had we the power to fix it, we would in a heartbeat. But this is beyond our control. Your friends must find another way. We may take you back to your earth."

"No," Barry says, gritting his teeth. "I'm not leaving without my friends."

Speed Force Nora nods. "Then you shall remain." With that, she vanishes, and a Time Wraith appears, flying towards Barry and screaming.

"What?" Barry yells in confusion as he turns and runs away. He is quickly outmatched, as the Time Wraith knocks him down. He tries to stand but is held down by the Wraith, who screams in his faith before punching him hard in the chest, sending him tumbling out of the speedforce into his friends below, still standing in shock.

* * *

"Barry, what the hell?" Sara demands as they all get back to their feet, Christian and Kara brushing themselves off.

"The Speed Force isn't going to work," Barry says dejectedly.

"Well, thanks for wasting time and being an absolute douche to us for the past few minutes," Christian deadpans.

"How long were you in there, anyway?" Kara asks.

"Only a few minutes, how long was I gone?"

"You weren't," Oliver replies. "You were back as soon as you were gone. We didn't even have the chance to move."

"Huh," Barry nods. "I guess that worked out well."

"Yeah, but it could have gone horribly, horribly wrong," Sara says, slapping Barry's head for effect.

"Oww!"

"Nah, man, you got your back broken, you don't get to say 'ow' to that," Christian interjects. As everyone looks at him, confused, he sighs. "Just don't question it at this point."

Barry shrugs. "So, uh, should we...go back inside?"

"Oh, you don't say?" Sara says sarcastically.

"Maybe try _not_ to be a hero for the next hour or so," Christian jokes.

Barry laughs, and soon the laughter spreads to the rest of the group, even to Oliver. Their noise wakes up one of the neighbors, who flips on a light and opens his window. "Quiet down there! We're trying to sleep!"

"Sorry, chief," Christian apologizes half-heartedly, throwing up a mock salute. The man returns to his room. "Let's get back inside before we wake anyone else up," Christian suggests.


	16. Episode 4

_**I'm honestly getting tired of this whole arc. Seriously. Like, after writing last week's chapter of GIAF I realized just how much I like writing original content. This is just...kinda boring. It's too late to stop now, obviously, but I don't even know why I decided to do this whole play-by-interesting-play episode thingy. **_

_**AFTER THIS, THOUGH, I'm planning a few more story arcs. I have the ending planned out, I just have no idea how to get there. That's kinda the beauty of this series, though. I rarely ever know what I'm going to write, it just spontaneously happens. But, I really should start planning things out so it's not just filler.**_

_**Okay okay okay enough of my rambling lets go. Also #rehirehartleysawyer**_

* * *

"_What did you see?" Jim Corrigan, the former spectre, asks Oliver, the soon-to-be Spectre._

"_Everything," he answers. "I see everything now."_

"Why is my voice so weird?" Oliver asks, cocking his head to the side.

"I don't know," Christian frowns, scratching the back of his neck.

"I thought you were supposed to know all the ins and outs of our lives," Oliver says dryly.

"Yeah, up to a certain point," Christian answers with a huff.

"Okay, so-"

"Ollie, just shush," Sara cuts in, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, you're going to end up being as bad as Barry."

"Hey!"

"_Cut it out! Whatever's going to happen is not going to include us turning on each other!" Kara shouts, confronting Barry. "Maybe you're right, maybe the Speed Force is our last best hope-"_

"_It is."_

_Shocked at the new voice, the Paragons turn to see Oliver, now the Spectre, standing behind them. "The Speed Force is the key to saving you. It's the key to saving everyone," he continues._

"_Oliver?" Sara asks pensively._

"_Yes and no," he answers with a small smile. "It's complicated."_

"_Nice outfit," Ryan says, chuckling. Kate looks at him in slight annoyance. "Very...sith."_

"_Oliver?" Barry, repeating Sara, walks forward slowly. _

"_I am Oliver Queen. But I'm also something more."_

"_More what?"_

"_Some might call me a ghost. A Spectre that's in tune with the entire multiverse."_

"Wait, I get powers?" Present-day Oliver asks, intrigued.

"Yeah," Sara sighs. "Only for a little while," she says softly, only loud enough for herself and Christian to hear. Oliver, meanwhile, nods his approval and leans back into his seat.

_Oliver reaches out and touches Barry's forehead with his finger. Barry looks at him, confused and feeling slightly awkward. "I've unlocked your potential, Barry," Oliver says._

"_By...touching my head?"_

"_Use this power with caution." Oliver smiles at his friend. "Do you trust me?"_

"_Are you Oliver Queen?" Barry asks softly._

"_Yes."_

"_Then I trust you with every cell in my body."_

"_Good. Now run, Barry. Run."_

"Oh, come on, seriously?" Barry groans.

"What?" Kara asks, sitting up alertly.

"Run, Barry, run?" Barry complains, looking at Oliver who looks back in confusion. "That's the best you can come up with?"

"What?" Oliver asks incredulously as Christian starts laughing.

"Almost every person in his life has said that to him," Christian says, chuckling. "Good or bad."

"Well, that's ironic," Sara smirks.

"What is?" Barry asks her.

A clouded look passes over her face for a shadow of a second. "You'll see," she answers, her smirk returning, if a bit smaller.

* * *

"_Umm...hello?"_

_Barry turns around in surprise to see...himself. But, slightly different._

"_What the hell is this?"_

"_I'm asking myself the same question. Literally."_

"Wait, I'm sorry, hold on," Barry interrupts, standing up in confusion. Christian simply stares at the screen, his mouth agape in shock. "Who is that?" Barry asks. Sara shrugs, but Christian jumps up and literally screeches.

"THEY FRICKIN GOT EZRA MILLER WHAT THE FRICK CW YES HELL YES WOOOOOO!"

Barry, as well as the other three, blink in surprise at Christian's outburst. "Uh, sorry," Christian chuckles. "That's an alternative version of you."

"Well, yeah, I can see that, but how?"

"I don't know," Christian says sarcastically. "Look, up until this very moment, I thought that Flash wasn't real. But, now that he appeared in your canon timeline, that means he is. Which means that the whole entire frickin DCEU is somehow canon. SO, if it can't be explained away by a different earth, then maybe its a whole ass dimension like this earth."

"Wait, that Flash is from the same universe as the version of my cousin we saw?" Kara asks, confused.

"Yeah."

"Does that mean that Clark is...real?" Kara asks again.

"I have no idea, but apparently it's possible," Christian says. "I just can't believe that actually friggin happened. I mean, no one expected the DCEU to crossover with the Arrowverse, but damn."

Barry just nods like he actually understands what Christian is rambling about and sits back down. "I can't believe there's _another_ version of Barry Allen," he says distantly.

"Hmm?" Kara asks him.

"No, I mean, I've seen myself, I've seen Savitar, I've seen a Barry that looks just like my dad, and now there's another face. Another Barry, but different. I just wonder, how many more are there? Like him? Or like my dad? Or like me?"

"Dude, doppelgangers are weird," Christian mutters.

"They are, though," Barry agrees, nodding in remembrance."

"Like those doppelgangers of Kara and Oliver that were married, or the-"

"Wait, wHAT?"

"Oh...I said too much, didn't I?" Christian grimaces as Kara, Barry, and Oliver look at him in shock. Sara just sighs and shakes her head.

"Wait, Oliver and me? Married? But, like, on a different earth?" Kara asks. "Ew," she whispers. Oliver looks at her, raising an eyebrow. "No offense," she grins apologetically.

"We can table this for later," Christian says quickly, trying desperately to change the subject.

"No, but-"

"GUYS," Sara shouts. "Can we just get through this?"

* * *

"_All of you, listen to me," Oliver says, hands folded in front of him as the Paragons turn to face him. "This is why you were selected. You're Paragons."_

"_Yeah, I'm still a little unclear on what all that means," Ryan says._

"_It means you're powerful enough to hold the line. To buy us the time we need."_

"_To do what?" Kate asks._

"_Rebirth the universe."_

"Rebirth the universe?" Barry asks. "Is that possible?"

"Look at me and ask that again," Sara deadpans. Barry, at a loss for words, simply turns back to the screen.

"_Focus. A single, laser-like focus. On humanity, truth, love, destiny, honor, courage, and hope."_

_With that, Kara and the rest of the Paragons stare at the Spectre fighting the Anti-Monitor, focusing on what makes them Paragons._

"So you're telling me you all saved the universe by staring," Christian asks, turning to Sara.

"No, we were focusing on what made us Paragons," Sara says, furrowing her brow.

"But you were literally just standing there. Staring."

"Shh."

* * *

"_Oliver."_

_Oliver coughs and groans. "I need both of you to watch over my family," he says between coughs._

"_Hey, Ollie, they're gonna be fine, alright? You're gonna be fine," Sara says, trying to convince herself just as much as Oliver._

_Oliver simply looks up, gasping for breath. "You did it. You all did- you all did it."_

"_Did what? What did we do?" Sara asks._

"_Just look."_

_Oliver, Sara, and Barry look up, seeing the birth of the new universe. A swirl of light, a ball of energy unfolding, taking shape right before their eyes. "Ollie, we saw, but what is it?" Sara asks._

"_It's the new universe," Oliver replies as Barry looks on in awe._

"_It's kinda small for a universe," Barry says quietly._

"_Wait for it, Barry," Oliver says. "It's almost time. Almost time." The ball explodes, matter flooding the anti-matter universe. "There. You did it."_

"_No, Ollie, you did it, okay, and that's why you gotta come back with us, so we need you to hang on, okay?"_

"_Sara, this is just what the Monitor said would happen," Oliver coughs. _

"_What?" Barry whispers in shock._

"_There was an end, and there's a beginning," Oliver says, a distant smile coming to his face. He turns to look at Barry, tearing up beside him. "You remember what I told you?"_

"_Dying is the easy part," Barry answers softly. _

_Oliver smiles. "I'm at peace. The real heroes…"_

"_...they're the ones who have to keep going," Barry finishes._

"_So keep. Going." Oliver says with finality. Barry nods. "Don't ever stop. This world, this new world, it needs both of you." Oliver looks back at the birth of the universe, a tear rolling down his cheek as he closes his eyes for the last time. Barry looks down, trying and failing to hold back tears of his own. Sara, broken by her loss, looks up, desperately trying to deny Oliver's death._

"_Barry," she says, nudging him. He looks up with her, his eyes widening as he sees the new universe expanding._

"_An end," he says, quoting Oliver._

"_And a beginning," Sara finishes. The two look down at Ollie once more, Sara now failing to hold back her tears._

"_Thank you, Oliver," Barry whispers. Sara cries and leans on Barry, who joins her as the universe is birthed, as the light engulfs them, as the world is created once more._

As the scene ends, the screen turns to black. Everyone is rendered speechless. Oliver stares ahead, lost in thought, lost in what pain awaited him. Kara looks down at the floor, a tear rolling down her face. Barry stares at the black screen, traces of light dancing across its blackened face, running across his red-eyed reflection. Christian sits with wide-eyes, speechless and unmoving. Sara, on seeing Oliver's death once more, fights a failing battle to keep her tears in, but runs off with a loud sob, seeking solace in Emma's empty room. The four remaining sit in complete silence, the low hum of the TV creating the only ambient noise.

Soon, Oliver stands and slowly walks to Emma's room, finding Sara crying quietly into the bed. "Hey," he says softly, kneeling next to her and putting his arm around her shoulders. Sara just cries into his chest. A part of her feels ashamed, being this vulnerable. But even the mightiest of assassins need to grieve. She was broken, wounded beyond healing. And she cried.


	17. Episode 5

_**OOHOOHOOO IM BACK**_

_**wOT? I'm actuaLLY writing aNoTHER chaPtER?**_

_**okokokok anyway all jokes aside, we are back with another chapter, y'all. Last one was a pretty serious one right at the end. So hopefully this one can lighten it up a bit. HOWEVER, I am happy to announce that after this chapter we are officially moving out of the Crisis play-by-play and into some actual content! I hope you guys are ready cuz I'm not I didn't plan anything. I have like a super vague idea. **_

_**Alright, so Crisis Part 5. Let's just jump into it. Sorry it's extra late, I think I'm coming down with an ear infection and the day I was planning on finishing i just had to sleep. Super sorry about that, I'm still trying to keep to an upload schedule. Live and learn though, eh?**_

* * *

"_Well, look who's finally-"_

_Kara screams and turns around, shooting lasers at the voice behind her. She'd woken up with a start, completely confused. She stops, realizing who was talking to her._

"_-awake," Alex finishes, gasping, having just avoided Kara's lasers._

"_Alex! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Kara apologizes, quickly standing and walking over to her sister. _

"_It's okay, it's okay, are you okay?" Alex asks her. "Did you have a bad dream?"_

"_I don't know, I'm-" Kara starts before trailing off and looking around. "How did I get here?"_

"_Well, you fell asleep in front of the TV, and you just looked so peaceful, so I didn't have the heart to move you to the bed."_

"Wait, what's going on?" Kara asks. "Didn't they...we...just restart the universe or something?"

"Hey, I've got as much a clue as you," Christian shrugs, looking to Sara for clarification. Sara, noticing Christian's glance as everyone else follows, sighs.

"Just watch and see," she says resignedly. "I have a feeling that you'll all figure it out." Christian frowns but doesn't push the subject, Sara still rubbing her red eyes. Only a few minutes ago, she and Oliver had emerged from Emma's room after they all had been hit hard by Oliver's death. The group had decided to keep watching, even though they hadn't fully recovered.

* * *

"_And now I am proud to introduce the winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize, Lex Luthor!"_

_Every person in attendance gives Lex a standing ovation except for Kara, who can only stare in complete shock. "Nia?" she asks her friend. "Nia, am I still dreaming?"_

"_I know, right?" Nia answers obliviously. "It is so great when this award goes to someone who actually deserves it." _

_Kara looks at her, even more confused, before focusing back on Lex. Lex winks at her as she scowls and leans back into her chair._

"Hold on," Kara asks. "Who is that and why are people clapping for Lex Luthor?"

"Lex helped rewrite the universe, it'd only make sense that he'd erase everything he did wrong," Sara shrugs.

"And 'that' is Nia Nal, a reporter and hero friend of yours that you'll meet in approximately," Christian answers, pausing to look at his watch for effect, "21 months."

"Huh," Kara nods slowly. "Why didn't the rest of them, or, us, stop him?"

"In the grand scheme of things, I don't think it really mattered," Sara says.

"But he's Lex Luthor!" Kara frowns, furrowing her brows in concern. "He can't just be allowed to run-"

"Kara, please," Sara says, rubbing her temples in frustration. Kara pouts but relents as Barry scoffs quietly.

"What?" Kara asks, turning to Barry.

"Nothin."

Kara raises an eyebrow.

"Nothing, I swear!"

* * *

"_Hey!" Kara yells at the new threat attacking the people of National City._

"_Look who came to join the fun," the woman, Joslyn Jackam, replies._

"_I'm sorry, who are you?" Kara asks._

"_Weather Witch," Joslyn replies as if Kara should have known, although Kara just shrugs. "And you are no match for my wrath."_

"_Ugh, I'm having not so great a day," Kara groans. "Which is actually you're bad luck-"_

_As Joslyn is about to hit her with a blast of lightning, the Flash knocks her out, sending her flying. "Sorry," he smirks. "She's one of mine."_

"_Well, what's she doing on my earth?" Kara asks._

"_What?" Barry asks, looking at her in confusion. _

"_Wait, what are you doing on my earth?" Kara laughs._

"_Wha- your earth, thi- this is my earth," Barry chuckles before they both stop in confusion. _

"_I thought-"_

"_I thought-"_

"Wait, I thought you guys put the multiverse back together," Barry says incredulously.

"I never said 'multiverse'," Sara responds.

"Wait, wait, y'all all end up in the same universe?" Christian asks, raising his eyebrows. Sara nods.

"Wait, so how does National City fit into Earth 1?" Kara asks. "I thought it didn't."

"Yeah, and how-"

"It just does, okay?" Sara says loudly before sighing.

Oliver stands and walks over to his friend. "Guys, for now, I think we should lay off on the questioning." The group nods their agreement.

* * *

"_It's true!" Barry chuckles, walking into the Arrowcave. "We all live on the same Earth now! Our earths must have merged when we helped Oliver reboot the universe."_

"_I can't believe it!" Kara smiles as the two walk up to Sara, Dig, Rene, and Dinah, oblivious to their pained expressions._

"_What are you guys doing here?" Sara asks._

"_I had to see if it was true!" Kara says excitedly. "The DEO, Catco, all of National City is on this Earth. Even Argo's up there. We did it! We saved everyone," she finishes with a bright smile._

_Sara stares at her, pained. "Not everyone."_

_Kara and Barry's smiles fade in confusion as Sara walks off. "Oliver," Rene says, walking up to the two. "He didn't make it."_

"_Guess we just have to face the facts," Dinah shakes her head._

"_No, that's…" Barry whispers._

"_Why did he give everyone else a fresh start but not himself?" Kara asks._

"_Maybe this was the only way, Kara," Dig says, putting his hands in his pockets. "Maybe his sacrifice made all of this possible. And for us." _

_A moment of silence is broken as an alarm begins to go off. "What's that?" Rene asks as they gather around the computers._

"_We're being attacked," Dig answers._

"_By who?" Kara asks._

_Dig simply stares at the screen in complete disbelief before turning to the rest. "You wouldn't believe it if I told you."_

"_BEEBO HUNGRY!"_

"Are you shitting me," Christian says in disbelief. "Are you- are you serious right now? Beebo? Really? Now?"

"I honestly don't know how I'm supposed to react to this," Barry shakes his head. "I mean, it's…"

"I'm sorry, since when were giant stuffed dolls a thing?" Oliver asks, chuckling.

"A few years ago," Sara says.

"Season 3," Christian says at the same time. Sara looks at him in confusion as he grimaces, noticing his mistake. "Uh, pretend I didn't say that."

"Oh, no no, we're gonna talk about this later," Kara smirks. "And are you telling me you've dealt with Giant Beebo before?"

Sara nods, a smile dancing in her eyes.

"No way," Barry says, mouth agape.

"_That's right, Wally told us about the time you guys used those totems to turn yourselves into a giant Beebo to defeat a time demon," Barry says._

"_I guess it's not a long story," Sara says, shrugging._

Christian, Sara, and Kara start laughing, even Oliver breaking into a chuckle of his own. "What?" Barry says, confused.

"Dude, did you not get it?" Christian asks. "That timing was way too perfect."

"Wait, that-" Barry stutters, looking at the TV and looking back at Christian, "that actually...happened?"

"Yup," Sara answers, still chuckling.

"Okay, but can we just talk about how perfect that timing was?" Kara says, giggling. "I mean, you're all like, 'WOaH NO WAY,' and then future you comes on and explains everything like it's nothing. That's amazing!"

"Hey, I don't sound like that," Barry pouts, eventually breaking into a smile of his own.

* * *

"_My fellow Americans," the President says to a camera, broadcasting a message to the whole nation, "today, our way of life, our world, almost came to an end. An entity known as the Anti-Monitor attacked Earth, intent on it's destruction. Thankfully, we were saved by Earth's greatest heroes, who came together when we needed them the most. Never before have they faced such an event. Their unity and strength should be an example for us all. I'm told this assembly was led by Star City's Oliver Queen, otherwise known as the Green Arrow. We give thanks to these brave women and men, who with great tenacity, tireless work, and the utmost courage, put their lives on the line for our country, our planet. While in a hard-fought battle loss is expected, it never gets any easier. So it is with great sadness that I must inform you that Oliver Queen sacrificed his life for our world's survival. He is known to us as the first of our heroes. And while this is a devastating loss, we can take solace in knowing that he lived as he died, with honor. I ask all of you to join me in a moment of silence to honor him now."_

As the music on the screen swells, the five viewers take a moment of silence, not to appreciate what has happened, but to appreciate what is to come. Christian stares at the floor, eyes darting around. Sara grits her teeth, refusing to cry again. Kara and Barry lean against each other for support. Oliver just stares. He stares blankly at the screen, chronicling his end of days. And in this moment, he's lost.

* * *

"_Why'd you choose a condemned building?" Jefferson asks Barry following their memorial for Oliver._

"_What?" Barry asks, confused. "No. This is not a condemned building. It- no listen, this is an old Star Labs research facility that no one uses, and what's even better, no one knows it exists."_

"_Good for you," Kate smirks._

"_No, good for us," Barry says, excitedly. "I figure we could all use this to gather if anything happens again."_

"_It's a great idea, Barry," Clark says._

"_Thanks, Superman," Barry smiles._

"_It's a better option than you all dropping by the DEO," Jonn says knowingly. _

"_Why do we even need it? I mean, how often does the world almost come to an end?" Jefferson asks, chuckling. The rest of the heroes grimace, glance down, or look around awkwardly._

"_Oh it's like that?"_

"_Don't worry, I was the new kid last year," Kate jokes._

"_Ok, listen, I haven't even shown you guys the best part yet, you ready?" Barry says, approaching a table covered with a sheet. Kara nods very excitedly, and the others gather around._

_Barry pulls off the sheet to reveal a table. Engraved in the center is a golden star surrounded by a dark square. The table itself is surrounded by chairs, each one bearing the logo of the heroes in the room. Kara gasps, and the rest of the heroes look on in awe, quickly walking over to their new meeting place. _

"_Shoulda led with that, bro," Jefferson says._

"_It's nice, Barry," Clark smiles._

"_I love it!" Kara says, smiling widely._

_Barry glances at Sara, who smiles warmly at him. "I love it," she says as Barry nods, showing one last empty chair, Oliver's arrow engraved on it._

"No. Way." Christian gasps, standing up. "No fucking way. No-" he stops, running his hand through his hair in excitement and disbelief. "There- no- ohmygod. Barry you beautiful human being."

Barry looks at him, completely confused. Christian, however, doesn't notice.

"The fucking Justice League. FINALLY! HELL YE!"

"Huh, that's not a bad name," Sara nods approvingly.

"Okay, hold on, I need a minute," Kara says slowly. "I mean, that was a bit fast from Oliver's memorial to everyone having fun in the new place, isn't it?"

"You're not wrong," Oliver says. The other four turn to look at him, realizing that he's been largely silent the whole time.

"Ollie," Barry asks.

"I'm fine, Barry," Oliver reassures him. "It's just a lot to take in." Barry nods.

"Maybe we should all sleep on it," Christian suggests after a moment of silence. The group nods their collective agreements and shuffle off to their beds. Before they all leave, Christian pulls Sara aside.

"What now?" he asks.

"What do you mean?"

"How are we gonna get these memories out of their heads?"

Sara sucks in a breath sharply. "Are you sure that's the best idea?"

"Hey, I don't know, you're the timeline-fixer-upper."

Sara nods. "We'll figure it out in the morning."


	18. What We Leave Behind

_**ayo sorry this one was so late lol**_

_**Honestly though, even though I totally update all my stories frequently, im looking forward to this chapter. Its the first one in months where im actually writing my own story, so i'm looking forward to it. I hope yall are too because things are about to ramp up. Probably. I mean we'll see because i don't actually have a definitive plan or anything.**_

_**NOW BEFORE WE BEGIN i need to address one thing: the fact that nobody said anything about there being a new multiverse despite Sara thinking there was only one earth. To be honest, I didn't really think about it, but really, she's already on a completely different earth. I don't think she'd really be that surprised. The others wouldn't really be surprised at all.**_

_**One more thing: Because I don't actually have an outline or plan for the story, there's bound to be continuity errors and stuff. So if you guys catch any, please let me know and I'll try to fix it! **_

_**Anyway on to the story.**_

* * *

A thick silence hung over the group as they shuffled around in the morning. Christian, albeit unwillingly, had gotten up early to get ready for school while the heroes lay in a bit of a funk. Christian, the least affected out of the five, mentioned to the group that he was leaving for school and that they were free to do whatever they wanted to do as long as they weren't spotted, which they acknowledged in their own ways. With him out of the house, the four start moving around slowly.

"Ava," Sara says to her girlfriend on the Waverider. She had gotten up and tiptoed out of her sleeping space in Emma's room with Sara and was pacing around in Christian's apartment.

"_Hey Sara,"_ Ava replies. "_How's it going? How are you?"_

"I've been better," she replies with a half-smile.

"_What happened? Are you okay?"_

"Yeah, it's just…" Sara trails off. "I'm gonna come back to the Waverider. I wanna talk to you and to the rest of the team in person."

"_Oh, okay," _Ava replies, concerned. "_Are you sure you're okay?"_

"I will be, babe," Sara smiles. With that, she ends the call with Ava and throws on some decent clothes, getting ready to head out the door.

"Heading out?"

Sara turns around sharply to see Barry standing in the doorway. "Barry, hi," she says quickly.

"Hey, Sara," he replies with a small smile. "How you holding up?"

"I've been better," Sara admits, shrugging. She looks at the floor before continuing. "It's just, having to see Ollie's death twice is…"

"I get it," he says, nodding and walking up to her.

Sara scoffs. "How could you?" she asks, looking up at him.

Barry chuckles quietly and shakes his head. "I saw my mother's murder at least twice. I saw my dad get killed right in front of me. I saw a timeline where you, Felicity, Thea, Ollie, Cisco, Caitlin, and," Barry stops and sighs, "Laurel were all wiped out. But to see Ollie gone, and, like, really gone, I mean…" he trails off. "I get it, you know?"

"Barry, I had no idea," Sara says softly.

Barry just gives her a small smile before looking at the ground and sighing loudly. "So where you heading?" he asks her.

"Oh, um, yeah, I'm gonna go back to the Waverider for a bit, I need to talk to the team about some things," Sara answers.

"Oh yeah, how are they?"

"Oh, they're doing fine," Sara chuckles. "You know how we are."

"Ah," Barry chuckles. "_That_ kind of fine."

"Yep," Sara nods.

"Why aren't they down here with the rest of us, though?"

"First of all, I don't trust them to not get into trouble. Second of all, Christian told you about people on this earth that look just like us and are famous, right?"

Barry nods in response as Sara continues. "Yeah, I just, I don't want any headaches right now. Any _more_ headaches. Right now."

"Ah, got it," Barry nods. "Well, have fun."

Sara chuckles. "I'll try." The two of them share a quick hug before Sara heads out.

"Who was that?" Kara asks, popping her head out of her room and looking at Barry.

"Don't you have super hearing?"

"Well, yeah, but it only works if I'm actually listening," Kara pouts. "Who was that?"

"Who do you think?"

"Was it Sara?"

"Yeah."

"Where's she going?"

"She's, uh, going to check up on her team in the Waverider."

"Ohh, right, I forgot they were here too."

"Yup, they are," Barry nods before getting something to eat from Christian's kitchen. Kara shrugs and closes the door. Barry emerges from the kitchen seconds later, holding a PBJ sandwich and one of Cisco's protein bars. He walks to the open window and absentmindedly eats, staring at everything and nothing at the same time.

"Hey."

Barry turns around to see Oliver walking up beside him. "Hey, Ollie," he says, leaning on the windowsill. "How you holding up?"

"I've been better," Oliver sighs.

Barry chuckles. "Tell me about it."

"Normally, seeing my own death wouldn't phase me," Oliver says quietly, joining his friend by the window, "but seeing how shaken Sara was really got to me. I know I tell you I never get unnerved, but honestly, this was pretty close."

"Well, I'd be worried if you weren't," Barry says. Oliver raises an eyebrow at him. "I mean, you watched yourself die. Twice."

"Like I said, I can deal with the death part," Oliver says a bit harshly. "It's knowing what my family and friends have to deal with that's hard."

"I get it, man," Barry sighs. The two stand in silence, gazing out of the window.

"You ever wonder what our lives would've been like if we never became heroes?" Barry asks after a few long moments.

"I don't have to wonder, Barry, I got to see it," Oliver says. Barry looks at him quizzically. "When the Dominators captured me, Sara, Thea, Dig, and Ray, they put us in some kind of shared dream where we all got to see what our lives would have been like if we'd never put on the costumes. I was going to be married to Laurel. Sara was doing well in whatever she was doing, Thea ran Verdant, Ray was rich and successful and engaged to Felicity, and Dig was the Green Arrow. Everyone had their happy ending, and yet it felt off. Like, it was everything we ever wanted and yet it wasn't…"

"Full?" Barry suggests.

"Yeah, it wasn't full," Oliver nods. "I wasn't really me, you know?"

"Yeah, man, I get it," Barry sighs. "When I created Flashpoint I got to see what life would've been like if my parents were never murdered and I never became the Flash. And it was great in some ways, but in others it was just horrible."

Oliver nods and sighs, looking down. The two stand in a heavy silence until, minutes later, Barry notices something strange.

"Hey Ollie," he says, tapping his friend's shoulder. "Do you see that?" He points to the unknown abnormality, something that seems to be a black shadow travelling quickly across the horizon. By the time Oliver looks up, however, it's already gone.

"See what?"

"Huh," Barry frowns, looking around. "I could've sworn…"

Before he could finish his thought, a breach opens, swallowing him and leaving the space he was just standing in completely empty, much to the shock and horror of two onlookers.

"BARRY?!" Kara nearly screams.

* * *

"Hey, babe," Sara smiles at Ava, walking up the ramp to the Waverider and hugging her girlfriend.

"Hey, Sara," Ava smiles back. Noticing the haunted look on Sara's face, she frowns. "Are you okay?"

"Let's just say I have a lot to talk about," Sara answers. "Can you call the team to the bridge?"

"Sure thing," Ava nods and turns to do so. Before she leaves, she turns back to Sara. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I will be, thanks," Sara smiles wearily at Ava. Ava nods, concerned, but goes off to grab the rest of the Legends.

Once they all arrive on the bridge, with some snide comments courtesy of one Mick Rory, Sara begins. "So, as you all know, 2016 Oliver, Barry, and Kara are stuck here on this Earth. Has anyone come up with any ideas on how to get them back?"

"Wait, so you haven't been gathering intel on that?" Ava asks.

"No," Sara asks after a slight pause. "Things didn't exactly go the way I planned, and on top of that, they're my friends, and I'm not just gonna barge in and start nosing around at everything."

"Isn't that what we normally do?" Mick says offhandedly.

"True, but…" Sara sighs. "It's complicated." She looks at the floor for a few seconds before regaining her composure. "Any ideas?"

"Have you thought about using Barry's Speed Force?" Ray asks. "I mean, in theory-"

"He tried," Sara interrupts. "It didn't work, for some reason."

"It wouldn't work anyway, love," Constantine adds. "Interdimensional energy and all that."

"Well, Barry said the Speed Force could have taken him back," Sara counters.

"Of course it could, because he draws energy from it," he answers, lighting a cigarette. "But for those of us not struck by lightning, the energy would be too much for us to handle."

"Then why could I be in the Speed Force when Oliver was restoring the universe?" Sara asks, crossing her arms.

"Simple, love," John says, putting his lighter away and taking a breath of smoke. "Oliver, or the Spectre's energy created a sort of barrier to keep you from dying. That barrier probably did wonders for the Speed Force, though."

"What are you saying?" Ray asks. "The Speed Force is...dying?"

"Possibly, yes," he answers.

"But how-"

"Let's not worry about that, mate," John says quickly. "What we need to worry about is getting those three home and keeping them away from anything that could tell them the future."

Sara sucks in a sharp breath.

"Sara?" Ava questions suspiciously.

"Yeah, about that," Sara grimaces.

"Oh bloody hell," John groans.

"Well, what did they see?" Charlie asks. "It can't be that bad, can it?"

"Well…"

"No," Charlie says in disbelief. "Are you telling me they know? About-"

"About the bloody Crisis, Sara, I swear to God Himself if you let them know about Crisis," John sighs, flicking his cigarette across the room.

"Hey, it wasn't on me," Sara says defensively. "Oliver strongarmed the kid into showing them. And I mean that literally, he almost broke his arm. Kara and I tried to get him to back off but the kid decided to show them Crisis."

"Wait, hold on, what do you mean, 'show?'" Ava asks.

"Yeah, so on this earth, our lives are basically tv shows," Sara explains awkwardly. "It's really weird, but somehow they have it all down perfectly. And in that vein, they managed to see _all_ of Crisis. Even some parts I never saw."

"Please tell me you at least erased their memories," Nate says jokingly. When Sara doesn't respond, his face drops. "You're kidding."

"Don't they deserve to know?" Sara asks, pained.

"Sara, you know what could happen if-" Ava begins.

"I know, I know," Sara yells. "I just thought that maybe, _maybe_ something could finally go our way. And it's not like I even changed it in the first place!"

"No, no, we're not blaming you," Ava says.

"I know, but still," Sara sighs. "I know I should erase their memories, but I don't know if I can."

"Alright, I'll do it," John says bluntly, walking towards the door.

"John, no," Sara, Ava, Ray, Nate, and Behrad quickly stop him.

"I thought this was the whole point to what we do here," John says, raising an eyebrow.

"I know, but there's gotta be a different way," Sara says. She turns towards the front of the ship, looking out towards the grassy terrain. Suddenly, she sees something blue approaching them very quickly.

"Uh, guys, something's coming right at us," she says, getting behind the console as the rest of the team scramble to their feet. Before anyone can make a move, however, the blue object slams into the front of the ship, revealing Kara with her face pressed against the metal.

"Guys!" she yells. No one inside can hear her, so Sara quickly lowers the ramp of the ship to allow her to get in. "Kara, what's going on?"

"Barry's gone."


	19. Cross-Story Update

_**So.**_

_**It's been a while, hasn't it?**_

_**Sorry about the really big break, y'all, I know I kinda just dropped off the face of the earth for a bit there. And by a bit I mean for over a month. Unannounced. Which normally isn't that big of a deal in the fanfic world because people totally update their stories frequently but I mean I had a schedule, so…**_

_**A few things to address:**_

_**First of all, this is a cross-story update cuz I'm posting it on both WTEN and GIAF. For those who only read one. **_

_**Second, piggybacking off of that, if you guys are only reading Gone in a Flash, I suggest reading Welcome to Earth Nexus, too. And vice versa. Trust me, I'm not saying this merely to self-promote, I wouldn't do that. I'm saying this because those two stories, and the stories I have planned after, are connected, so if you miss one you might miss some details. And again, I'm not sure how much because I don't actually plan these chapters out.**_

_**Third: you may be asking, "hey, you've been gone for a while, any fresh ideas?" And the answer is no. These stories were created on a whim. Every chapter is literally a few hours of randomness that I type out in one or two sittings. There's no outline or anything, just a super rough idea of where I'm going and a few random ideas here and there. I know, that may seem like lazy writing, and it probably is, but I still don't really know what I'm doing. **_

_**Fourth: you might ask, "but you've been gone for so long, you haven't thought about it?" The answer is, once again, no. Life's been a bitch recently, as you all know, with the whole quarantine situation. But besides that, I don't know, things just aren't happening. My parents are getting divorced, I'm moving, I started working, school's starting up next week, and things are just hitting me in the face much harder than I'd like to admit. And yes, I know, that's nowhere near a big deal for most people. I know I'm a disappointment lol. But I mean i have mental health, too :(**_

_**In all seriousness, I guess I needed a break. I'm really sorry I didn't say anything, I know I was trying to keep to a schedule for y'all and that just went out the window. But honestly, while it may not seem like it, that schedule is kinda tight and doesn't really allow for any room to breathe and think. Like I said, though, I haven't thought about the story really at all. I have a page done of the next chapter of Gone in a Flash but that's about it. This entire break I really haven't given it any thought at all. And honestly, it was kinda relieving. The stories got to a point where it became more of a job than something to do for fun. My heart really wasn't in it like it was at the beginning. I guess you could say the vibes weren't there, my dudes. **_

_**Does this mean I'm back for good? I don't know. I don't know much right now. But I do know I'll try. It's been too long, and I can't keep y'all waiting on this even longer. I made a promise to not abandon these stories, and I plan on keeping that promise. I wanted to do this update for y'all to let you know that I'm not dead and that I'm coming back. Soon, I think.**_

_**I'm gonna try to go back to a schedule. What it will be, I'm not sure. I really wanna do two chapters of each story a month so I can get through the storylines I wanna get through but, if this month has taught me anything, that's a straight shot to burnoutville. So I'm not sure if I'll have a schedule. I'm not really sure about the stories in general. I can't honestly say that my heart is as in it as it was when I started, but I am starting to miss it. I miss the characters, I miss the stories. I miss the writing. I miss y'all, your comments and support. I miss it but at the same time, I don't want to come back to a chore. I want to enjoy it. So i'll probably start back up slowly and feel around as I go. Only time will tell.**_

_**Finally, a look ahead. I don't know how long Welcome to Earth Nexus is going to end up being. The whole of the story is just me fucking around chapter after chapter, and I haven't really thought of a plot point. The only two right now that I've thought of are the "oliver gets christian to tell him the future" one and the current one with what happened to Barry. So, really, the story will go on to one of three things: a logical conclusion, when I'm sick and tired of it, or when I've squeezed it dry. Hopefully the first, probably the second.**_

_**As for Gone in a Flash, you can probably tell that it's going to loosely follow the events of Captain America: Civil War. I am ignoring everything involving Zemo because the story is mostly about Team Flash. Of course, I'm going to try and build the Avengers as characters, too, but they already have their own story. Which, really, doesn't mean much given that I'm writing a fanfiction but whatever. So, logically, the story will go on to at least the end of Civil War. Past that, I'm not sure. So, given that I'm at about the 40-minute mark on the movie, you'll see at least ten more chapters probably.**_

_**What's next? I have some stories planned. I had one involving Batwoman and Star Wars: The Clone Wars, but honestly, with whatevers going on with Batwoman I'm not sure I really want to write it. As you can probably tell, I really like crossover stories. We'll see though. I have one involving the Legends, we'll see how that pans out. It was originally gonna be the Legends and the Markiplier and Jacksepticeye egos (Anti and Dark and Schneep and Warf and so on) but it might end up being TCW instead of the Egos. Idk I wanted something different. There will also be a Supergirl story with Christian in it. And a final story to tie em all together. The stories I'm writing right now are in their own universe and theres a very very rough plan to tie it all together so stay tuned.**_

_**OOO i just had an idea, what if I write for Stargirl instead of Batwoman? I just watched the finale today lol. Honestly that might work!**_

_**So I'm really sorry about the unexplained absence and I'll try my best to come back full force. I just don't wanna burn myself out. I hope y'all understand :)**_

_**TL;DR: The vibes were not happening my dudes.**_


	20. Gone in a Flash

_**OHOHO! I AM BACK!**_

_**Yeah so this should've come out sooner (like a month ago but we already got into that) but life is still weird af. We had open house showings on our house over the past week so I was basically kicked out of my own house for the entirety of the showing schedules. Topped with the fact that I'm already behind on school, i have a song coming out on Spotify and other places soon, I fell asleep Sunday and Monday, and I got addicted af to Valorant and Among Us… I don't have any actual good reasons for why this is coming out late. But I'm here now, so**_

_**What is late, anyway. What is time.**_

_**Also, yes, I have a song coming out, if you wanna check it out, its "Call" by waferboi. Should come out October 4th. Lo-fi type stuff. ANyway.**_

_**UPDATE: the song came out :)**_

_**ALSO - WARNING - STRONG LANGUAGE**_

* * *

Sara blinks.

"Gone? What do you mean, gone?"

"He's just gone!" Kara exclaims in a panic. "One second he was talking to Oliver, and the next some big blue portal thing opened up around him and he's gone!"

Sara stares at her at a loss for words while John sighs. "Bollocks, another bloody crisis on our hands, aye?" he remarks, crossing his arms.

"Well, do you know where he is?" Ava asks.

"No, if I did I wouldn't have panicked!" Kara yells. She takes a breath before taking a second glance at Ava. "Who are you?"

Ava looks surprised. "I...um…" she stutters, then turns to Sara. "You didn't-"

"Look, now isn't the time or place," Sara says bluntly, walking up to the console. "We need to find Barry before he gets hurt. And where the hell is Oliver?"

"He's, uh, still at the apartment."

Sara quickly turns towards Kara incredulously. "You just let him go?"

Kara holds her hands up defensively. "Hey, I thought he'd be fine, I-"

"Well of course he'll be fine, but this is Oliver we're talking about," Sara says exasperatedly. "Who knows where the hell he is now?!"

"Hey, cap, maybe you should take a breather," Nate suggests to Sara. "Take things a step at a time, you know."

Sara glares at him for a few seconds before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "Okay, fine. Gideon!"

"Yes, Captain Lance?"

"We need to find Oliver Queen."

* * *

"Mr. Lee, what is the answer to question 17?"

"Uhh…" Christian mumbles, thinking. "47.6 meters per second?"

"Correct," the teacher replies blandly. "I see someone has actually been paying attention to their homework."

Christian tries his best not to look insulted as the clock strikes 10:45 and the students get up to leave. "Remember to do your quizzes in Google Classroom this week, class," his teacher shouts after the students. "Tardiness will result in an automatic fail."

Christian storms out of the classroom as his friend Aiden jogs up next to him. "Hey man," his friend shouts, but Christian ignores him as he keeps walking. "Hey, bro," Aiden says, looking puzzled as he catches up to Christian, "are you good?"

"Am I good?" Christian repeats, stopping abruptly to face his friend. "Am I good? This asshole of a teacher has been making every effort to be an absolute dick to me every class, and you're asking if I'm good?" Christian shouts, taking a few steps closer to Aiden as he rants.

"Hey, chill, bro," Aiden says firmly, although taking a few steps back. "I didn't do anything to you, don't come at me."

Christian sighs and relaxes slightly. "I'm sorry, its just...things have been rough at home."

Aiden shoves his hands into his pockets and looks at Christian in concern. "What's up?"

"It's just...well you already know how things are in my family," Christian says. "It kinda feels like nothings going right right now, you know?"

"Sorry to hear that, man," Aiden replies, shuffling about awkwardly. "If you need anything, let me know, okay?"

"Will do," Christian replies with a small smile. "Sorry for blowing up at you."

"It's fine," Aiden replies, waving his hand dismissively. "We all have our days. No need to be all pissy at me, though," he finishes with a smirk.

"Hey," Christian pouts, punching Aiden lightly as the two start chuckling. However, Christian stops suddenly as he notices a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. "Hey, I actually gotta go, man," he says quickly.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just...have to take care of something," Christian says. Aiden raises an eyebrow. "I'll tell you about it later, but I really have to go."

"Alright, see ya," Aiden says, throwing up a peace sign as he walks off. Christian waves after him before quickly running over to the figure.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Christian asks tensely as Oliver takes off his hood.

"Barry's gone."

Christian blinks. "What do you mean, gone?"

"He just vanished."

"Where?"

"What makes you think I know?"

Christian takes a deep breath. "Okay, okay, do the others know?"

"Kara does, she probably already told Sara and the Legends."

"Well, what do we do?"

Oliver stares at him incredulously. "I thought you would know."

Christian looks back at him with confusion. "You thought _I_ would know? What do I look like, a scientist?"

"You seem to know so much about us, I figured…"

"Figured what? That'd I'd magically know how and why Barry just went missing like that?" Christian asks in disbelief, snapping his fingers for effect. Oliver just shrugs. "God…" Christian sighs and turns away from Oliver, massaging his temples.

"Look, can you get him back or not?" Oliver asks.

"Just because I _know_ things doesn't mean I can _do_ things, Oliver!" Christian fires back. "Honesty, what makes you-"

"I don't know!" Oliver shouts back before quieting down after a few weird looks from nearby students. "I don't know. I know for sure Kara doesn't know. I doubt Sara knows. You were the only other option."

"Aw, that's sweet," Sara smirks as the boys turn around quickly to face her. "Oliver, did you forget I have literal futuristic technology at my disposal?"

Oliver stares at her.

"Apparently you did."

"Wait, what?" Christian asks.

"Gideon, guys," Sara explains. "Gideon."

"Oh."

"Did not think of that."

"Of course you didn't," Sara sighs. "Come on you two, we gotta get back to the Waverider."

"Wait, you brought the ship here?" Christian asks worriedly.

"Don't worry, I parked it somewhere safe," Sara smirks as the trio makes their way back.

* * *

"Where am I?"

"Barry Allen," the Speedforce calls, appearing in front of him in the form of Nora Allen.

"Why am I here?" Barry asks, quickly realizing where he was.

"The Flash of 2020 has made his way here against our wishes, and he has destroyed all of our wraiths in the process. We need you to stop him."

"Why me?"

"We need you to."

"And the will of the Speedforce is all that matters, isn't it?" Future Barry Allen asks, stepping into view.

The two Barry's lock eyes as "Nora" continues. "Barry, I need you to stop your future self before he can damage the timeline. You are the only one who can."

Barry nods and faces himself. "Why are you here?"

2020 Barry smirks. "I'm here for you, Barry." With that, he takes off, his past self not far behind. The two race through the Speedforce. Future Barry managing to outpace Present Barry almost completely until he stops, knocking 2016 Barry off-balance and out of the Speedforce.

* * *

Barry stumbles to a stop in a large room, decorated with giant statues of costumed heroes. He looks around in awe before noticing 4 shocked individuals, seated around a large white table, all staring directly at him.

"Uh...hi?" he says before the young girl to his right picks up a golden staff and points it at him, the staff lighting up with some sort of energy before firing a bolt at him. Barry panics, but manages to avoid the blast, crashing into another young man in the process.

"Who are you?" the girl asks, pointing her staff at Barry again as he gets up. "Why are you here?"

"Hey, look, this was all an accident, I really didn't mean to end up here," Barry explains awkwardly. "Wherever _here_ is…"

The girl and her friends, now all standing defensively around him, just stare at him with a mixture of confusion and apprehension. "I think...I'll just get out of your hair," Barry says, holding his hands up in front of him. "Sorry about all...this." He speeds off, jumping back into the Speedforce to find himself waiting for him.

"Enjoy your little trip?"

"Who the hell were they?"

"Some friends," Future Barry smirks. "They're a mystery tool that'll come in handy later," he winks.

As his past self looks confused, he rolls his eyes. "Oh come on. Just loosen up a bit. Ready for round two?"

* * *

Barry quickly turns to look at his future self as he is kicked at superspeed right back out of the Speedforce. This time, he ends up in complete blackness.

"Interesting," he hears a dark voice say.

"What the h-hell are yo-you doing here?" another voice asks, his voice seeming to glitch instead of stutter.

"Uh…"

"Listen," the first voice says, the space around him lighting up to reveal a shadowy, grayscale man surrounded by a red and blue aura. "The two of us are rather busy at the moment. Would you be so kind as to leave us be?"

The second voice giggles as Barry turns to face him, the space around the man lighting up to reveal a man bathed in a dark green glow, literally glitching all around Barry. "I wasn't exp-p-pecting any v-visitors today," the man says with a maniacal smile, pulling out a blood-stained knife. "Then ag-gain, no one's r-r-really **here**, are they?" he says again, smiling as Barry, hallucinating, sees another man similar to the speaker slit his throat with the same knife, falling dead atop a carved pumpkin.

"Now, now," the first man chides. "There's no need for violence, is there?"

"Uh, n-no," Barry stutters, scrambling to his feet in fear. "I'll just, uh…" Before he even finishes, he runs away as fast as his legs carry him, entering the Speedforce yet again."

"How was that?"

"That?" Barry asks incredulously, panting heavily. "That was horrible! Who the hell-"

"Another time," 2020 Barry says, cutting him off. "You've still got one more place to go."

"What, are you Ebenezer Scrooge-ing me?" 2016 Barry asks.

"No, no," his future self replies. "I'm just preparing you for your future. God knows you'll need it."

"What about the timeline?" Barry asks. "I already changed the past and look what happened. Do you not remember that?"

"Of course I do. But my timeline's already done for. I figured I'd help you out a bit before I'm gone forever."

"Wait, what?" Barry asks.

* * *

Future Barry just smirks and knocks him back out of the Speedforce into a rundown, dirty room, much to the immediate shock of a few onlookers. However, before Barry can even stand up, one of the strangers, a young Asian girl, attacks him, ripping at his eyes. He barely avoids getting his eyes gouged out, managing to knock the girl off of him and stand up. As soon as he stands, however, he is shot clean through the shoulder by another stranger with a buzzcut as a third, scruffier man grabs him by the suit and shoves him against the wall.

"What the hell is a Supe like you doing here?" the man demands, shaking Barry viciously as four others surround him.

"I don't know!" Barry pleads.

The man nods and his companion shoots Barry in the leg. Barry screams in pain as one of the strangers winces at the sound. "Do better, or we blast you to fuckin bits. Understand me, cunt?"

"I don't know, man!" Barry shouts, tears rolling down his face. "I don't even know where I am!"

"Well, that's too bad for you, isn't it?" the man growls, his face twisting into a sadistic smile as the female slams her fist into his stomach. Barry gasps in pain, coughing as the wind is knocked out of him. However, before he can breathe, the man drops him and the girl lays into him for nearly an entire minute, only stopping when the man with a buzzcut holds her back. "Calmez-vous," he whispers to the girl. The girl nods and steps back, glaring at Barry murderously. Barry, however, is nearly unable to move, being reduced to barely anything more than a shaking, bleeding mess.

"Here's the thing, cunt," the man, seemingly the leader of the group, says, kicking Barry in the side and causing him to groan. "You've seen our fucking faces. You've seen where we are. That means as soon as you get out, you're gonna run like a little fucker and tell the whole fuckin world where we are. We can't have that, can we?" The man aims a gun directly at Barry's head, but before he can fire, 2020 Barry runs out of the Speedforce, grabs him, and runs back, saving Barry from certain death.

"What the hell?!" Barry gasps, his wounds only starting to heal as his future self looks on apologetically. "Were you trying to get me killed?"

"I"m so sorry, they were a lot more friendly when I saw them, I didn't know this was gonna happen," he responds, apologizing profusely. "If I had known…"

"What's the point of all this?"

"To prepare you, Barry," Future Barry explains. "Your timeline is going to go off the rails very soon. I thought I might give you a glimpse at what's to come. The faces you'll see. The people you'll meet."

"And, probably, to kill me in the process?"

"I said I was sorry!"

"Yeah, well I almost died," Barry accuses. "Sorry isn't really good enough."

"Ok, fine." 2020 Barry crouches down near his past self. "The only way you're going to get back home is if you use the Speedforce to get back to the exact time and place you left and get Cisco and Caitlin to help you figure out a way to bring all three of you back. That's the only way."

"THAT'S ALL YOU WANTED TO SAY?!" Barry shouts. "You could have just told me that! I didn't have to get creeped out of my mind or almost die!"

"Listen, I showed you those people for a reason, okay? I'm not trying to be a jerk to you. Trust me, it'll help you later."

"Will it?"

"I mean, I think so."

"You THINK?!"

2020 Barry sighs. "Just remember what I told you." With that, he takes his past self and drops him out of the Speedforce one last time, directly onto the Waverider.

* * *

"BARRY!" Kara screams, running over to her friend, still bloody and bruised. "What happened?"

Barry just looks at her with a dazed smile and passes out.

"We gotta get him to Gideon," Sara breathes worriedly. With a nod, Oliver and Christian hoist him up and gently carry him to the medbay.


	21. Pre-Mortem

_**I feel like I'm "sorry for being so late" so many damn times, it's kind of annoying. I just need to set aside one day to just sit down and write. I can write a whole chapter in a few hours, I just need to do it. **_

_**Also, I updated my bio. This story, as you know, is interconnected (barely) with Gone in a Flash, and will be connected to later fanfics that I write. However, which fandoms I throw together for a fanfic has now changed, as I no longer have any interest in Batwoman and don't know enough about Star Wars The Clone Wars. If y'all got the cameos in the last chapter, then look forward to those characters appearing, and/or being the central focus of, later stories.**_

_**Also ALSO, as you can probably tell, this story is gonna come to an end soon. Barry already figured out a way back home, he just needs to implement it. And once he does, its bye bye Earth Prime. However, how many chapters it'll take to get there is currently unknown, as I have neither outline nor plot. Bear with me lol. I'll learn my lesson and outline the next story.**_

* * *

"Gideon?"

"Mr. Allen has endured a tremendous amount of blunt-force trauma, as well as multiple gunshot wounds. Normally, his connection to the Speed Force would allow him to heal at accelerated speeds. However, this level of blunt force trauma has crippled his natural healing ability. I'm afraid that Mr. Allen may take hours, if not days, to be able to even wake up."

"My god," Sara gasps, standing around Barry's body alongside Oliver and Kara. "What happened to him?"

"It's my fault," Oliver grimaces. "I should've-"

"Oliver, don't." Kara stops him. "Both of us were there, and Barry just disappeared. Neither of us could have helped him."

"Gideon?" Sara asks. "What could have caused this amount of damage to him?"

"It is difficult to say, Captain Lance. However, due to the size and intensity of the injuries, it may have been another metahuman."

Sara, Oliver, and Kara stare silently at their friend as Christian walks into the room. "How is he?"

"Not good," Sara says solemnly. "Do you have any idea what could've happened to him?"

"I think he came out of the Speed Force," Christian says, causing the three to look at him in surprise. "Judging by the portal-looking thing he came out of."

"Why would the Speed Force do this to him?" Kara asks.

"I don't-"

"It didn't," Future Barry says, stepping into the ship out of the Speed Force, much to the surprise of the four.

"B-Barry?" Kara asks in shock, pointing at him. "But how?"

"I'm your Barry from 2020," Future Barry replies, causing Christian to narrow his eyes.

"So you…" Christian starts.

"Yes, I know what happens," Future Barry nods. "Or, at least, what should've happened."

"Should've happened?" Oliver questions.

"My timeline is dying. Or rather, my reality. Whatever is happening here will cause a rupture in reality that will give Crisis a run for its money."

"How is that possible?" Sara asks, stepping towards him. "How much more is there to lose?"

"How much isn't there?" he looks at her pointedly, causing her to step back in confusion. "A few days ago I began having memories of things that didn't happen. This Earth, The Avengers, The Boys, so much more. I had no idea what was going on."

"Wait, the AVENGERS?" Christian nearly screams. "As in-"

"It doesn't matter," Barry stops him. "What matters is getting your Barry back home where he belongs. What's happening is too far along to be stopped."

"Wait," Oliver interrupts, crossing his arms. "You said the Speed Force didn't hurt Barry. If so, what did?"

Future Barry looks at the floor. "I did."

"What?"

"I took him to different Earths to meet the friends and enemies he would meet in the future," he explains. "I just didn't expect them to be so hostile."

"You did this?" Kara asks, stepping toward him. "You could've killed him."

"I know."

"Why didn't you stop?"

"So he could have a warning. His future, my future, is gone. No one knows what's going to happen. At least I could give him the warning I'll never get to have."

"At what cost?" Sara asks.

"Any cost necessary."

"What happened to you?" Oliver whispers.

"My life is gone. My future is gone. My reality is gone. What hasn't happened, Ollie?" Barry smiles sadly. He holds up his hand, causing the four to gasp as his hand slowly flakes away into nothingness. "It's bound to catch up to me soon."

"Why would you tell us this?" Christian demands.

'So you have a chance."

"That's it?"

"That's it," he smiles as he steps back into the Speed Force, leaving the four staring in shock at the spot he just stood in.

* * *

_**HAHA I MADE Y'ALL WAIT A MONTH FOR A REALLY SHORT CHAPTER!**_

_**nahnah sorry for the wait tho. To be honest, y'all do deserve more than just this, but this chapter felt right to end here. **_


End file.
